


Critical Role: The Arena

by QueenPersephone (KethriHolmes)



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Don't Judge Me, Gen, Kid fic if you squint, Second Generation, Sort Of, but correct me if you actually speak Farsi, don't worry the original vox machina is still in there plenty, everything i found for that was on google, kidnap and escape, kidnap and rescue, the Farsi is a lie, vox machina - Freeform, vox machina kidnapped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:48:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 59,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22628134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KethriHolmes/pseuds/QueenPersephone
Summary: Vox Machina has been retired from adventuring for about thirty years. However, they’ve been pulled back into that life by a crazy fan who is disappointed that they never got to see Vox Machina in action when they were active. They also take Altan, an adventurer who happened to be in Whitestone at the time. Now Vox Machina and Altan have to find a way to get out while battling their way through the fan’s “challenges.”When her brother disappears one night, Amira teams up with Julius de Rolo, his twin siblings, and her friend Kadin to find the Vox Machina members who have disappeared, hoping her brother will be with them.. . . . .Updates Thursdays (for the time being, at least)The 'major character death' is only temporary, but I still put it there, just in case.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Original Female Character/Original Male Character, like all over the place - Relationship
Comments: 5
Kudos: 8





	1. Introducing the Cast

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! This story has been in the works for a while, but I'm finally at a point where I feel okay posting it. This first post isn't actually a chapter, that'll come on the next update day, which is undecided as of yet because I might be about to start a new job and have to idea what my schedule is going to be like. So, not a chapter. What is it instead, you ask? Well, since I decided to put a fuckton of characters into this story, many of them original, I decided that I would do a Shakespeare-style character introduction that all you lovelies can refer back to if you forget who belongs to what. Hopefully it won't get that confusing, but I promise nothing but something resembling a plot and terrible jokes. I hope you enjoy it, anyway. My girlfriend did, and it's not that I don't trust her opinion, but you know, biases and all that. And now that I've wasted a good 20-30 seconds of your day, I'll get on with the character whatever bullshit. Curtains up!

Cast of Characters (ft. some de Rolo kids)  
\- Vex’halia de Rolo: half-elven ranger/rogue, Grandmistress of the Grey Hunt, Champion of Pelor, and original Vox Machina member  
\- Pike Shorthalt: gnome cleric and Champion of Serenrae, and original Vox Machina member  
\- Grog Strongjaw: goliath barbarian, Grand Poobah over all of This and That, and original Vox Machina member  
\- Scanlan Shorthalt: gnome bard, Champion of Ioun, the Meat Man, and original Vox Machina member  
\- Percival de Rolo: human gunslinger, lord of Whitestone, and original Vox Machina member  
\- Keyleth of the Air Ashari: half-elven druid, Voice of the Tempest, and original Vox Machina member  
\- Altan Safar: half-elven rogue assassin, noble of Ank’harel, twin to Amira, and member of Viatorem  
\- Amira Safar: half-elven Way of Shadows monk, noble of Ank’harel, twin to Altan, and member of Viatorem  
\- Kadin Najafi: human druid, Circle of the Moon (fairy), friend of Amira and Altan, and member of Viatorem  
\- Julius Percival von Mussel Vessar de Rolo: half-elven gunslinger, son of Vex and Percy  
\- Elaina Vex’halia von Mussel Vessar de Rolo: half-elven cleric of the Raven Queen, daughter of Vex and Percy  
\- Tiberius Gaufrid von Mussel Vessar de Rolo: half-elven ranger, wolf companion named Lymus, son of Vex and Percy  
\- Hildr Bergfalk: dwarf paladin of the Stormlord and member of Viatorem  
\- Desdemona: tiefling warlock, archfey pact, and member of Viatorem  
\- Ursai Aerglo: halfling ranger, panther companion named Biscuit, and member of Viatorem  
\- Tofi Eklund: dwarf cleric of the Stormlord and member of Viatorem

The de Rolo kids (because I worked hard on their names and ages, goddammit)(might be updated with classes later)  
\- Johanna Frederickstein von Mussel Vessar de Rolo, aged 27  
\- Julius Percival von Mussel Vessar de Rolo, aged 24  
\- Vax’ildan Alwin von Mussel Vessar de Rolo, aged 19  
\- Elaina Vex’ahlia von Mussel Vessar de Rolo, aged 16  
\- Tiberius Gaufrid von Mussel Vessar de Rolo, aged 16  
\- Whitney Cassandra von Mussel Vessar de Rolo, aged 15  
\- Vesper Valora von Mussel Vessar de Rolo, aged 7  
\- Oliver Ludwig von Mussel Vessar de Rolo, aged 3


	2. 1 - Echoes of the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viatorem, an adventuring group, is staying in Whitestone when one of their members goes missing. On that same night, Lord Percival and Lady Vex'ahlia also disappear, as well as their friend Keyleth. Amira begins the search for her brother and a possible connection between the two events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome! The actual story starts here, and I hope you enjoy. Anything in Marquesian (aka Farsi) is not defined in story because I felt it detracted from the flow I was going for. But fear not! All translations will be in the end notes, as well as the scene titles I used while writing that chapter because, let's face it, I'm hilarious and some of those scene titles are pure gold. Ciao!
> 
> Pictured: Altan, Amira, and Kadin

“Kadin!” Amira called, poking her head into her friend’s room. “Do you know where Altan is? He is not in his room and I have not seen him since last night. I do not want to leave too late.”

The human man paused in pinning his dark red hair up with one of the many tiny jasmine flower pins that Amira had given him for his birthday last year. “And you think I know where he is?"

Amira gave him a pointed look. “Then tell me you do not keep track of where all our friends are at any moment. Where is Desdemona right now, _Mâdar_?”

“Downstairs having breakfast,” Kadin answered before he realized what Amira was doing. He blushed deeply, jabbing a few more pins into his ringlets to distract himself. “Alright, you win. Last night he went for a walk. He wanted to see the castle up close. I was asleep before he came back.”

Amira lightly kissed her friend’s cheek. “ _Sepâs_. I will begin my search there.” She turned and disappeared immediately from Kadin’s sight. Kadin sighed and started applying a moisturizing ointment to his obsidian skin. He may have been the one in their group who could best keep track of the twins, but he still couldn’t see them if they didn’t want to be seen.

After she slipped out, Amira made her way towards the tree they had seen. As she did, she noticed that there were two guards speaking in hushed voices. Whatever they were talking about seemed urgent. On a hunch, she slipped over into a nearby alley to listen.

“Apparently they disappeared last night,” one of the guards was saying. “No trace of them, all of their valuables left behind except for their weapons and armor. They didn’t even tell Lady Cassandra where they went.”

“They didn’t tell their kids?”

“No, no one. And their friend Lady Keyleth was staying with them and she’s gone missing as well.”

Lady Keyleth? Was that the same Keyleth who had been part of Vox Machina? That would mean that the other missing people were also members of Vox Machina. She knew, of course, that Whitestone was the home of Lord Percival and Lady Vex’ahlia. Amira loved stories and myths and histories and had studied their adventures in depth.

But who was going around abducting heroes?

And her brother, who was not really a hero and might be unrelated.

She would have to do more investigation.

Taking a step out of the shadows, she walked over to the startled guards. “ _Dorood_ ! _Khasteh nabâshid_. Could you, perhaps, direct me to the castle?”

One of the guards turned to face her, watching her suspiciously. “The castle is currently off-limits to outsiders.”

Amira leaned casually back against a wall. “That is very sad to hear. My brother disappeared last night and the last place he was seen was heading to that castle. It is my only lead.”

The guards exchanged glances. Then one of them said, “That doesn’t change the fact that the castle is not open to visitors.”

Amira had to consciously stop herself from rolling her eyes, using up all her self-control. “ _Baleh_. However, I am not just any visitor.” Reluctantly, she held out her fingers, dangling them in front of the guards’ faces so they could see the ring with her family crest on it. She didn’t show it often - it was hard to stay inconspicuous when people knew she was a noble - but desperate times called for desperate measures.

The results were undeniably instantaneous and equally annoying. Amira hated being bowed to, but she suffered through it for now. For Altan.

“I’m so sorry, my lady. I didn’t realize,” the older guard said hastily. Amira must have had a little bit of self-control left because she managed to stop herself from screaming. “I’ll…” he paused, clearly trying to think of a way to rectify the situation. “I can take you to the castle, if you like. Don’t know what you’ll find there, though.”

“Please do,” Amira replied shortly. “And on the way, tell me about these missing people.”

They shared another look. “We haven’t found much, my lady,” the younger guard said as they led her down the streets. “Nothing else was taken but them, their armor, and their weapons - the ones they use when they go adventuring sometimes. Nobody unusual was seen coming in, and no one was seen going out.”

Amira hummed in acknowledgement. So not a whole lot, as they said. And still no connection to her brother. Still, there had to be some clue somewhere.

The trio had only just stepped over the threshold when a young man, about Amira’s age, came running down the stairs. “Maxwell! Jamesson! Did you find anything in the city? I found…” He suddenly stopped when he saw Amira standing between them. “Who is this?”

The younger guard, the one he’d called Jamesson, stepped forward. “Lord Julius, this is Lady Amira.” She flinched a little at the title but didn’t correct him. “She asked to be brought to the castle. Her brother disappeared last night and this was the last place he was seen.”

Julius turned his violently hazel eyes on Amira, looking at her intensely. Amira wasn’t quite sure what to do with his expression. It looked both confused and curious. “Nice to meet you. I am Julius Percival von Mussel Vessar de Rolo," he said with a little bow."

Amira matched his formality. "That is quite the name, sir."

He grinned. "It's sort of a…family tradition."

"Well, if we are playing a game of long names, mine is Amira _Khaanoun_ of house Safar in Ank'harel."

"That is very impressive," he agreed. "You wanted to ask about your brother?"

"Yes, my lord-"

“Please, call me Julius.”

“Julius,” Amira corrected. “Last night, my brother wandered off to look at the castle and by the time my friends and I woke up this morning, he was nowhere to be found.”

“I see,” Julius replied, although he didn’t seem to really be speaking to her. More like he was speaking to the air around them, lost in thought. “You’re a long way from home,” he said suddenly, addressing her directly again.

Amira nodded, wondering where this is going. “That is correct. The accent must have given it away,” she laughed. “My brother and I came with our friend, Kadin, and somehow got roped into adventuring with some new friends of ours.”

“Your friends, they’re here in the city?”

“They are staying at an inn not too far from here.”

Julius motioned with his hand and a servant appeared. “I don’t know what you’ll find, but you’re welcome to search the castle and the grounds. Ask Elise if you need anything.” He started walking away but called over his shoulder, “Good luck.”

Amira took a moment to gather up her long braid into a bun and clip it there. “Alright. Elise, correct?”

“Yes, my lady.”

Amira closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Let us see what we can do, yes? May we start with the places of the castle and grounds that are usually visited by the public?”

Elise nodded and began to lead Amira away, waiting patiently at every stop while Amira picked it over for any hint of Altan. They checked the foyer, the library, and the portrait hall inside and then went outside to look over the gardens, the shooting range, and the giant clock tower. A groundskeeper recalled seeing a young man that looked like her wandering around the clock tower around twilight, but other than that there was no trace that he’d ever even been there.

“Vecna’s undead tits,” she muttered Ursai's favorite swear, leaning her forehead against the side of the clock tower and letting her arms hang heavily in front of her.

“What was that, my lady?”

“Nothing,” Amira said, pushing herself back into a standing position. She smiled at Elise. “Thank you for showing me around. I am sure you had better things to do today and I have taken up all of your time.”

Elise shook her head. “Not at all, my lady. I’m sorry you didn’t find out more about your brother.”

Amira flapped her hand dismissively. “I will try again tomorrow, ask around the city. Surely someone must know something. I will show myself out.”

Elise dipped into a small curtsey and made her way back inside the castle. Amira took her time walking out, taking the long way around the castle to walk back through the garden, which was even more beautiful in the soft oranges and purples of the sunset. Even the castle looked prettier, looking like a sunset itself as the colors reflected off of the white stones.

She had just started walking the path back to town when a small figure, about the size of a child ran past her into the castle, yelling, “Alright, where is the bastard? He’d better be here or so help me I’ll use some of my new-fangled education to come up with something really nasty for punishment.”

Amira’s curiosity was insatiable on the best of days, and this was the first interesting thing that had happened in hours, so of course she was going to see what was going on. She pulled her large hood over her head and stealthily followed the figure, teleporting from shadow to shadow.

The young man from earlier, Julius, and a woman who looked a little older than him but definitely part of the same family, came out of the dining room to greet what Amira could now see was a gnomish woman with especially short brown hair.

“Kaylie? What are you doing here?” The woman asked. “I thought you, Scanlan, and Pike were going on a trip to Marquet.”

“So did I, Johanna. So did I.” Kaylie let her heavy bag drop to the ground beside her with a thump. “But I show up at their house in Westruun and am told they’re missin’. Grog too. No one’s seen ‘em for two or three days. So I figured they must be here.”

“That’s…really bad news,” Julius said, rubbing his temples.

“Damn right it is,” Kaylie agreed. “I bought a new bathing suit for this trip.”

“Well, I’m sorry your trip was interrupted,” Johanna said, “But I’m afraid they aren’t here. And our parents and Keyleth are gone as well.”

“I see,” Kaylie replied slowly. “That’s downright scary. Who would go around, nickin’ a bunch of has-beens?”

Amira, who had been doing great at staying quiet up to this point, snorted. She immediately covered her mouth, but the damage was done. All three of them looked over at her hiding spot. Discovered, she stepped into the light and waved awkwardly. “I deeply apologize for intruding,” she said, “But I could not help but be curious when I heard your shouting.”

“It’s alright,” Julius began before either of the others could speak. “Did you find out anything about your brother?”

Amira shook her head. “All I was able to do was confirm that he was here. Beyond that, there was nothing to find.”

Johanna raised her eyebrows. “Your brother?”

“Her brother went missing last night,” Julius explained. “She knew he’d come here and asked to look around.”

“And now that I have, I should be going,” Amira said, bowing slightly. “My friends will be wondering where I have been all day, and I believe you have a meal to get back to. _Khodâ hâfez.”_ She walked quickly out before any of them could respond.

As she walked, she thought about what had happened over the course of the day. It was outrageous to believe that her brother’s disappearance had anything to do with the Vox Machina disappearances, but she couldn’t get rid of that nagging feeling in her chest that they were somehow connected.

Her friends were waiting for her at the inn, calling her over to their table. “We ordered you some steak and potatoes,” Ursai said as she walked up, slamming a drink down in front of her. She could smell cinnamon and apple from the warm ale.

Amira grabbed the mug before she was even fully seated. “You are a lifesaver, Ursai,” she said, taking a large gulp. She hadn’t realized how cold she had gotten until she walked into the inn from the night. Even in spring, this place was too chilled for her liking, used to hot sun and warm sands as she was.

“Where waur ye all day?” Tofi asked, brushing some crumbs out of his long, braided beard. “Kadin said ye waur lookin’ fur Altan.”

“An’ where is th’ sneaky blighter?” Hildr, who was sitting next to Tofi in matching Stormlord vestments, leaned down and fed a piece of meat to the panther that was lounging under the table.

“Honestly, I was hoping he had come back here at some point during the day and I was wasting my time up at the castle,” Amira admitted. “I did not find him anywhere. Thank you,” she added as a barman set a plate down in front of her.

“The shadow did his vanishing act too well,” Desdemona commented. She reached out a taloned wine-brown hand and took a roll off of the table.

“Aye,” Tofi said slowly. He stood up and grabbed his mace and shield from behind his chair. “Ah dunnae kin abit ye, but aam stuffed. Aam gonnae go tae bed.”

“You really did not find him,” Kadin asked, leaning towards Amira.

“I did not.” Amira sighed. “I will search the city tomorrow. But I did learn something else interesting. All the members of Vox Machina have disappeared from their homes.”

Kadin’s eyebrows lifted. “Do you think it has anything to do with Altan?”

“I do not know,” Amira said softly, picking at her potatoes. “I feel like it might, but it seems so outrageous.”

“We will look for him more tomorrow,” Kadin assured her. “For now, eat and get some sleep. You will be no use to him if you are exhausted and hungry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mâdar - Mother  
> Sepâs - Thank You  
> Dorood! Khasteh nabâshid. - Hello! Don't be tired. (super polite greeting, acknowledging their hard work)  
> Baleh - Yes  
> Khaanoun - princess, lady  
> Khodâ hâfez - Goodbye
> 
> Scenes:  
> My brother, my "brother," and me  
> "off limits" is irrelevant  
> Terrible name competition  
> Vecna's undead tits  
> Kaylie keeps it real  
> Meat Viatorem


	3. 2 - Family Matters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira and Kadin meet more of the de Rolo children and find out a bit more about what may have happened to Altan and Vox Machina.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this is out late! To be fair, though, the internet is out at my apartment, so I had to do some finagling to be able to post. So here! Enjoy chapter 2.

Amira woke up early the next morning to look for her brother. With no real starting place, she just started asking around. It wasn’t completely random - she was going down paths that he might have taken from the castle to the inn - but it still wasn’t terribly efficient.

Eventually, she ended up in an area that seemed to be some kind of temple district. Altan, like herself, wasn’t much for religion, but she was starting to get desperate and it wouldn’t hurt to ask. The first two temples, dedicated to Serenrae and Pelor, were decidedly unhelpful. No one there had seen anyone matching her twin’s description.  
At the end of the lane was a final temple. This one was vastly different from the other two. Where they were bright and shining and full of life, this one was brooding and gloomy and had a single person in it, kneeling at an altar at the far end.

The figure, a teenage girl kneeling in the dim light, was deep in prayer or something similar. Amira entered quietly and slipped into a seat in the back, waiting. She might not be among the faithful, but she didn’t begrudge anyone who was and didn’t want to interrupt.

Several minutes later, the girl stood and turned. “Oh!” She cried when she saw Amira sitting there. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone had come in”

Amira smiled and got up, walking closer to the girl. “It is alright. I did not wish to interrupt.” She looked down at the altar, which was decorated with black feathers, pure white snowdrops, and a bowl of something that looked suspiciously like blood. “Who were you praying to?”

“The Raven Queen,” the girl answered. “And her champion. I was hoping for guidance in finding some missing people.”

“I was hoping for the same,” Amira admitted. “I am looking for my twin brother. He looks much like me, although his hair is a little shorter. He was wearing black leather armor, a black cloak, and would be covered in daggers.”

The girl shook her head. “I’m sorry, I haven’t seen anyone like that.”

Amira tugged on her braid, which went down the back of her head and over her left shoulder. “That is alright. I did not expect you to have. I am simply running out of options.”

“Well, I’ll add your brother to my prayers.”

“Thank you…I am sorry. What is your name?”

“Elaina,” the girl replied, holding out her hand.

Amira took it and shook. “Thank you, Elaina. I am Amira, and my brother is Altan. If you happen to see him, please tell him I am looking for him and that if he does not come find me immediately, I will cut the tips from his ears and make him full-human.”

Elaina laughed. “If I see him, I’ll pass on the message. Good luck.”

  
“You as well.” Amira walked back out of the temple and towards the center of town. She was meeting Kadin at the big tree there. While she had spent the morning talking to people, Kadin had spent the morning at the tree, trying to get information magically.

She found her friend leaning against the tree, eyes closed. “Did you find anything?” He asked when Amira sat down.

“Not a thing,” Amira groaned. She pulled out two sweet rolls and passed one to Kadin. “And you?”

Kadin opened his eyes. “Nothing useful, really. Listening to nature only told me that he is no longer in the city. And scrying on him was unsuccessful as well. I did see him - he has never been good at blocking spells like that - but there were no clues to where he was, and I did not know any of the people around him.”

Amira leaned against the tree next to him, stretching her legs out. “There were people around him?”

“Yes. They all seemed to be sleeping, including Altan. They were in a large room together, although I could not see much beyond that.”

“At least he has company when he wakes, I suppose. These people, what did they look like?”

“Well, there were two women, a man, two children. Or gnomes, it was hard to tell. A goliath, and a bear.”

Amira choked on the bite of roll she’d just taken. Kadin patted her on the back. “Are you sure?” She croaked.

“I am sure,” Kadin answered slowly. “Amira, what is it?”

“We need to go to the castle,” Amira said in response. She jumped to her feet and started running. Kadin got up and chased after her. They sprinted down the streets, crowded as they were, Amira pushing roughly past them and Kadin apologizing behind her.

Amira flew up the path to the castle and burst into the entryway. “I need to speak with Julius,” she gasped, breathing heavily. Both guards and servants looked at each other, trying to figure out what to do. “Now!”

“What’s all this ruckus?” A voice called from the stairs. Everyone turned to see Julius descending from the second floor.

“Julius!” Amira ran over to him. “I know…I know…” She struggled to catch her breath.

Julius watched her with concern on his face. “Take it easy,” he said, grabbing her arms. “Deep breaths. Connor!”

One of the servants straightened. “Yes, my lord?”

“A glass of water, please. Amira, was it? Look at me.” She raised her head to meet his eyes, steel grey with flecks of green. “There you go, steady on. In and out.” Amira took a couple gulping breaths. “Good. Now, what did you need to tell me?”

Amira took a moment to make sure she was calmer before speaking. The water arrived and she swallowed it down gratefully. “I know what happened to your parents and their friends.”

  
Julius sat down heavily on the stair behind him, staring straight ahead. “You do?”

“Well, yes and no,” Amira amended. “I do not know exactly where they are, unfortunately.”

“Amira, what is this all about?” Kadin asked, coming over to join them.

Amira turned to him. “That vision you had, when you scryed on my brother? The people with him are the members of Vox Machina.” She looked back at Julius. “Two women, a man, two gnomes, a goliath, and a bear.”

Julius looked like he might be in shock. “And they were all alive?” He asked.

Kadin nodded. “As far as I could tell, yes. I did not get a good look, as the subject of the scry was Altan.”

Julius stood up and ran a hand through his silvery-white hair, long on top and short on the sides. “I have to tell my siblings. Wait here?” Kadin and Amira nodded and he dashed off.

Servants brought more water as they waited for him to return. Kadin found a relatively comfortable chair and sat down. Amira was pacing, restless. Stillness did not suit her.

It was ten minutes later when Julius finally returned, one of his siblings in tow. “This is my brother, Vax,” he introduced as they walked up. “He was the one who searched the castle first when our parents and Aunt Kiki disappeared.”

“I didn’t find much,” Vax said, “But I did find this.” He opened his hand to show a broken bit of capsule, about the size of his thumb. Looking closely at it, Amira could see that there was a small amount of white residue on the inside. “There was one in our parents’ room and one in Aunt Kiki’s room.”

“May I?” Kadin asked, holding out his hand. Vax dropped the capsule into it. “If you do not mind, I would like to do a test on this powder. I have some training in alchemy and may be able to discover what it is.”

“There is a lab downstairs that our father uses. I can take you there, if you like,” Vax offered. Kadin nodded and Vax led him away.

Amira and Julius stood awkwardly in the entryway for a few moments. “That will probably take a while,” Julius said. “If you like, we can go to the kitchen and get some lunch.”

“That would be wonderful,” Amira replied with a smile. Julius gestured for her to follow him and they wandered towards the kitchen.

“Chef Varon!” Julius called as they entered.

An older man, probably in his sixties, looked over at them. “Ah, Lord Julius. What can I do for you today?”

“Do you have anything ready for lunch?” Julius asked, coming over to look at what he was working on.

“I am preparing oven roasted duck with a blackberry sauce, sautéed asparagus, and sliced potatoes for lunch, which will be ready in half an hour, my lord. If you are too hungry to wait until then, there are fresh rolls over there.” The man gestured to a table off to the side where a basket was sitting with a cloth placed over it.

“Thanks, Chef,” Julius said, moving over to the table. Amira followed him and they sat down on the bench, each taking a warm roll.

“The bread is very different here than at home,” Amira commented as she took a bite of the soft bread. “It is not flat, to start.”

“It must be really different here from Marquet,” Julius noted. He grabbed another roll and spread on some butter.

Amira nodded. “That is very true. For one, it is much colder here. I had never seen snow before we had to go up into the Alabaster Sierras. It was beautiful, the way it glittered in the sunlight,” she added wistfully. “I just wish I had brought warmer clothes. I was not as prepared as I should have been.”

“What were you doing in the mountains?”

“A woman in Westruun hired us. She had a vision that a star had fallen in the mountains and she wanted us to find it. Offered to pay us a lot of money up front to do this for her.”

“And?” Julius asked, curious. “Did you find this fallen star or whatever it turned out to be?”

“It turned out to be a strange stone that was pulsing with a blue glow.” Amira pulled her legs up so she was sitting cross-legged on the bench. “I think it is just a rock, but Kadin thinks it might be an egg of some kind. Either way, it is not ours to keep. Once I find Altan, we will return to Westruun with it and it will be someone else’s problem.”

“Aren’t you in the least bit curious?” Julius asked. “I would be doing tests and experiments, trying to figure out what it is.”

Amira just shrugged. “I am curious, certainly, but it is not ours to be curious about. At least, that is what both Kadin and Desdemona said when I asked them. Tofi and I wanted to crack it open to see what was inside.”

Julius sighed. “I'd be on you and Tofi's side. I’m like my father. If there’s a mystery, I need to solve it.”

“Lunch is ready,” Chef Varon announced. He placed steaming plates in front of them, followed by silverware.

“This looks amazing, Chef Varon, thank you,” Julius said, picking up his fork and beginning to eat.

Amira dug in immediately. The food here was so different from food at home and she was always excited to try something new. “ _Kheyli khosh mazas_!” She moaned after devouring half the plate. “This is so good.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it, my lady,” the chef said with a laugh. “I’ll leave you to your food.”

Amira and Julius continued eating in comfortable silence. This gave her a chance to look him over more closely. The longer strip of hair on top of his head was curly and puffed up over his forehead. His complexion was almost as pale as his hair was dark. The clothes he wore were interesting as well. He wore a black shirt under a sky-blue coat with white trimming and more buttons that she’d ever seen on a single piece of clothing.

When they were both finished, Julius said, “Well, shall we go see what my brother and your friend have found out?”

Amira nodded. “ _Daste shomâ dard nakone_ ,” she said to the chef before following Julius out into the hall. They went down a set of stairs at the back of the entryway and ended up in a large room with multiple workbenches and all kinds of tools, many that Amira had no idea what to do with.

Kadin and Vax were at a table at the back that was stacked with glass beakers and candles and a number of other instruments. Two plates of food sat off to the side, mostly untouched. “Good, you are here,” Kadin said when he saw them, motioning them over. “We think we have found out what the powder is.”

“And?” Julius prompted.

Vax looked at Kadin, who nodded. “The powder seems to have been made from dried poppy seeds and finely ground human bones,” Vax explained. “Also, I found this on the capsule after we cleaned the powder out.” He turned it so they could see the small rune carved at the bottom.

“So, what does this mean?” Amira asked.

“The symbol was not completely familiar to me, as I do not handle the arcane often, but I did some research.” Kadin pointed to a book that was lying open on the table. “It seems to be reminiscent of the runes used in sleeping spells, although not like any in the books here.”

“So the powder was used to put them to sleep so they could be transported without a struggle,” Julius finished thoughtfully.

Vax scowled. “It must have been pretty potent to affect Mother and Father. I don’t like it.”

“I don’t either,” Julius sighed. “We need to figure out what’s going on. Why someone would kidnap Mother, Father, and the rest of Vox Machina. And Altan. How does he fit into this?”

“I do not know,” Amira said. “He does seem like the outlier in this situation.”

“In any case, let’s go up to the library where there’s more comfortable seating and see what we can figure out,” Julius suggested. Kadin and Vax grabbed their notes from the tests they did and the four of them made their way to the library.

When they got to the library, they found three people already there. An identical girl and boy, as well as a small boy who was not identical but similar enough. The girl was reading a large book while her brother sat on the floor playing with the toddler. Behind the older boy, a wolf lay under a chair, tail flipping around lazily.

"Elaina?" Amira called as soon as she walked in and saw the girl.

Elaina looked up, surprised. "Amira! What are you doing here?"

"Still looking for my brother, unfortunately."

"Wait," Julius interjected. "You two know each other?"

"We met this morning, when I went to talk to the Raven Queen." Elaina turned back to Amira. "Sorry I couldn't be more help. Have you found out anything new since then?"

"Yes, actually." Amira looked to Julius.

Julius nodded and continued, "Kadin here did a scrying spell and found out that the person or people who took Mother and Father also took Amira's brother. They and everyone else are being kept in the same place."

"Though we do not know where that is yet," Amira added. "Oh, hello!" The toddler had waddled over to her, arms reaching for her. She obligingly bent down and picked the boy up, setting him on her hip. " _Dorood! Moosh bokhoradet_. And who is this handsome young man?" The child in her arms giggled.

Julius laughed. "That's my youngest brother, Oliver," he explained. "He's very needy. Over there is Tiberius, and his wolf is Lymus."  
"He is _bache_. They are allowed to be needy," Amira replied. "It is how they know we care." She stepped over to a chair and sat down, moving Oliver so that he was sitting on her lap, playing with her fingers.

Julius plopped down in his favorite armchair, a red and gold one that you immediately sunk down in half a foot. "Alright, let's see if we can put together everything we know for sure."

"Hold on!" Elaina interrupted, jumping up. "Tibsy, help me out?" The other boy nodded and stood. The two of them disappeared behind a bookshelf and came back with a large piece of slate in a frame that was set up on wheels. Elaina picked up a stick of chalk and stood ready in front of the board. "Okay, go."

Julius looked at her in a way that only an annoyed older brother could. "Alright, so. We know that our parents, Keyleth, and Altan were taken the night before last. Based on what Kaylie said yesterday and how long it would have taken her to travel here from Westruun, Pike, Scanlan, and Grog were probably taken around a week ago."

"That would have been right after we took that last job," Amira commented as Elaina wrote on the slate. "Give or take a day."

"Interesting, but unimportant," Julius commented. Amira scowled at him.

"I'll write it down anyway," Elaina said, making another note.

"They are being kept asleep and together somewhere that there is no sun or daylight," Kadin continued. "That is what I saw in my scry."

"I just can't figure out what Altan's connection to all this is," Julius mused, tapping his index finger against his chin. "You guys never met my parents or any of their friends before, did you?"

Amira shook her head. "No, never. I would have autographs if we had."

"What is your brother like?" Elaina prompted. "Maybe that will give us a clue."

Amira wiggled her hands, making Oliver laugh. He was holding a couple of her fingers in a vice-like grip. "Well, he looks like the male version of me, of course. He is a little reckless. Ah…oh, he is a rogue, very stealthy and carries nine daggers that he treats as if they were his children."

Julius snorted a laugh. "That sounds like Mother's stories of Uncle Vax."

"You speak of Vax'ildan Vessar," Amira stated.

Vax nodded. "Our mother's twin. He died before any of us were born, in the fight against Vecna."

"I have heard the tales, yes," Amira said. "Stories of Vox Machina have reached even Marquet. Also, I have…studied Vox Machina's history," she admitted, blushing a little. She shook her head. "It seems strange to say in front of their children."

"I don't know about that," Julius replied lightly. "I think it's cool that you're interested in history. I love learning new things."

Amira smiled at him gratefully. Then her smile faded and became a deep frown. Elaina's arm dropped from where it had paused in writing Altan's traits. "What? What is it?"

"I know why they took Altan," she said quietly. "Half-elf rogue? Dark hair? Has a twin? Likes to stab things with daggers? Am I talking about Altan _Mirzaa_ of house Safar or Vax'ildan of Vox Machina?"

Everyone in the room stared at her. The weight of her statement sat in the room like stale air. "Oh, shit," Julius breathed after a long moment. "The kidnapper wanted the full Vox Machina."

"And since Vax'ildan is dead," Amira finished, "they took my brother to replace him."

Julius tried to decipher the look on Amira's face, but couldn't decide if she was about to cry or about to punch something. What he didn't expect was for Kadin to grab a nearby book and throw it all the way across the room, narrowly missing Amira, before bolting out of the room.

"Kadin, wait!" Amira called after him, quickly passing Oliver back to Tiberius before chasing after her friend. Kadin was fast but Amira was much faster. Amira caught up to him just as he ran out into the garden. "Kadin!" She called again, grabbing her friend's arm.

Kadin turned and buried his head in Amira's shoulder, crying. "I keep thinking of what might be happening to him," he sobbed. "And I am so tired. I could not sleep last night because he was not there with me."

Amira hugged her friend. "I know, I know," she whispered. " _Hava'to daram_." She led her friend to a bench and sat down. They stayed like that until Kadin's tears finally stopped. Despite the fact that his face was red and puffy, he actually looked better than before.

" _Sepâs_ ," he said, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "I needed that."

"You have too many emotions, my friend," Amira laughed, standing. She held out her hand to help Kadin up. "Especially when it comes to my brother." Kadin smiled weakly and took the offered hand. "Now, let us go assure the others that we are not off making love."

Kadin actually laughed at that. "I do not think your brother would like that."

"Then he should not have let himself get kidnapped," Amira replied, flipping her long and unbraided hair dramatically off her shoulders. "You are mine now. Altan and I are twins, so it should not make much difference to you." Kadin snickered.

By the time they made it back to the library, Oliver was gone and so was Vax, and the information about the powder had been written onto the slate. Julius jumped up as soon as they entered, jogging up to them.

"Vax went to go check on the powder," he said. "Is everything alright?"

"I will not be alright until Altan is found and safe," Kadin admitted, "But I am stable until then. No more books will be thrown."

Julius ran his hand through his puff of hair. Amira briefly thought that it looked like a fluffy cloud resting on his head. "That's good." He took a deep breath. "We still need to find out where they are. That's the biggest issue here." He looked at Kadin. "Can you scry again?"

Kadin nodded. "I can, but I do not think it will reveal anything we do not already know. More useful might be the experiments that Vax and I started downstairs. Those will hopefully tell us where the powder and capsule come from."

"You and your science," Amira scoffed, but her eyes were glittering. "Kadin, Altan, and I shared a room when we were little, and Kadin set fire to our room twice with his experiments."

"Once," Kadin corrected her. "The second time was because your brother was throwing his daggers around and hit one of my solutions, which exploded on contact with the air."

Julius was grinning as he watched their parley. "You should meet my father and his friend, Tary. They're also very scientifically minded."

“When will your experiments be done?” Elaina asked.

“Probably not until tomorrow morning,” Kadin admitted. “Some of the reactions take a long time.”

“In that case, we should probably let our friends know what is going on,” Amira suggested.

“If you’d like, you and your friends can join us for dinner,” Julius suggested. “I’m sure it would be better than whatever that inn is serving. And I could probably set you up with rooms here, as well.”

Amira studied him for a moment, and he squirmed a little under her dark golden eyes which seemed to see more about him than he wanted to share. “That would be wonderful,” she said finally. “I will see you later, then.” She turned and swept out of the room, her billowing black pants with slits up the sides floating along behind her. Kadin waved and followed her out.

Julius stared after them until Elaina knocked him with her elbow. “Got a crush, Jules?”

Julius shook his head. “Fuck off. Of course I don’t. She's just a curiosity to study.” He wandered over to the bookshelves. “Now leave me alone, I’m reading.” He picked a book, not really caring which one, and flopped down into his chair.

Elaina smirked. “Alright, deny it if you want. Tibs, wanna go see what Vesper is up to?”

Her brother nodded and stood from where he’d still been sitting on the floor. “Sure.” The two left Julius to his fake reading.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kheyli khosh mazas - It's delicious! (compliment to the chef)  
> Daste shomâ dard nakone - May your hand not hurt. (Thank you for the meal.)  
> Dorood - Hello  
> Moosh bokhoradet - A mouse should eat you. (You are cute, can be condescending)  
> Bache - a child  
> Mirzaa - prince, son of a prince  
> Hava'to daram - I have your weather (I'm with you, I have your back)  
> Sepâs - Thank you
> 
> Scene titles:  
> Yo, Raven Queen...  
> Kadin calls Altan dumb  
> Amira updates Julius  
> Vax brings the science  
> Amira and Julius have lunch  
> The science is finished  
> So now it's library time  
> Kadin has a garden breakdown  
> Return to library  
> A bit of sibling teasing


	4. 3 - Curious Tides

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet the rest of Viatorem and enjoy some character development and a fan-fiction moment while everyone waits for the science to do its thing. An important discovery is made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! A day late and a dollar short, here's the chapter. To be fair, my girlfriend is in the hospital so I was a little distracted.

“ _Salâm nâzanin-am_ , I am home,” Amira announced as she and Kadin entered the room where the rest of Viatorem was gathered. “Did you miss me?”

“I always miss ye, lass,” Tofi called back from his seat across the room, giving her a wink.

“That is why you are my favorite,” Amira laughed. She ran over and sat across the older dwarf’s lap. “So, what have you all been up to today?”

“Actually, that’s what we were just talking about,” Desdemona answered. She was looking in a mirror, washing the gleaming gold paint off of her wine-dark horns with a cloth. “Tofi and Hildr got a message from their temple. We need to leave for Vasselheim immediately.”

“This is very sudden,” Kadin commented. “What does the Stormlord need of you?”

Hildr shrugged. “Th’ sendin’ was short. We need tae go tae fin’ out.”

Kadin and Amira exchanged glances. “We…cannot go with you,” Amira explained. “We still have yet to find Altan.”

“Still?” Ursai asked, eyes widening. “We thought you definitely would have dragged him back by now.”

“And I would have, had he not been kidnapped,” Amira replied coolly.

“Weel, shite.” Tofi looked over at Hildr. “Th’ message soonded urgent. We cannae dally haur onie longer.”

“Then we will have to split up,” Amira said simply. “Kadin and I will stay here to look for Altan and all of you can go find out what is happening in Vasselheim.”

Kadin nodded. “I can send you there tonight through that big tree in the center of town. That way you can get there without delay.”

“But that would leave you two here alone,” Ursai objected.

Amira smiled at her friend. “We will be fine, I assure you. We have made some friends up at the castle who are helping us.”

They didn’t look convinced. “If you’re sure, then I guess the rest of us should get packed up."

Amira hopped down off of Tofi’s lap so he could go back to his room. Most of their things were packed already, since they hadn’t expected to stay in Whitestone long, so the task was quickly managed. The group walked together to the base of the tree. Kadin and Amira leaned down to hug their dwarf and halfling friends. Desdemona didn’t like hugs, but she and Amira shared a few friendly rude gestures.

“You be good now,” Amira said, leaning down to scratch Biscuit’s ears. The panther purred and rubbed her head on Amira’s leg. “And good luck to all of you. We will join you in Vasselheim once we find Altan.”

“Dornt git ded affaur we git back,” Tofi said sternly, staring down both Amira and Kadin. “Ah willnae be thaur tae brin’ ye back.”

Amira kissed the top of his head. “I would not dream of it, Tofi.”

“If we don’t hear back from you in a week, we’re coming back for you,” Ursai added, jabbing their finger into Amira’s stomach.

Amira poked their forehead, hard. "I bet you we finish our undertaking before you do." The two shook hands without negotiating a price for losing. That always came after the loss.

“Everyone, get ready to move,” Kadin instructed. “I am opening the portal now.” The others hefted their bags and stepped through the portal Kadin had made. Kadin and Amira watched their friends disappear and the tree close back up behind them.

“Well, that does not worry me at all,” Amira said, only half joking. She suddenly sounded very tired. “Shall we go back to the castle for dinner?”

Dinner was delicious, but afterwards Amira slept poorly. She woke up often, and at dawn gave up on sleep entirely. She put on a hooded crop top and shalvar pants and padded down the hall in her bare feet. She wandered her way towards the kitchen, still half-dead. Even this early, she could smell the faintly wafting sweetness of baked goods.

Walking into the kitchen, she said, “ _Sohb bekheir_. I see you could not sleep either.”

Julius, who had been sitting with his back to the door, jerked and stood quickly. “Amira! Good morning.” He smoothed down his shirt.

Amira scoffed, not one for mornings. But then she saw the cup on the table where he had been sitting. “Hot water?” She asked hopefully.

Julius, who looked as unhappy to be awake as she did, pointed to a pot on the counter. Amira helped herself to some water and pulled a bag of tea out of her pocket. “What have you got there?” He asked.

Amira brought the tea up to her face. It still needed to brew, but even smelling it was making her feel more awake. “It is a tea of Kadin’s making. He designed it years ago. Coffee is not popular in Marquet, but tea is, and I have never liked the taste of coffee anyway. It is a jasmine tea with peppermint, lemon balm, and cardamom.” She sat down across from him and noticed the plate of muffins sitting on it. “May I?”

Julius pushed the plate towards her and grabbed a poppyseed muffin for himself before plopping his forehead down on the table. “My little sister, Vesper, is only seven,” he told the table. “She doesn’t understand why Mother and Father are gone. I had to tuck her back into bed because she kept coming up to me and asking when they would be back. She wanted to show them the jewelry she and Whitney had made.”

Amira didn’t know what to say to this. Altan was her only sibling, although Kadin might as well have been her brother. But they were all around the same age. She’d never had to interact with a sibling much younger than her, and she hadn’t been one for hanging around the children in Ank’harel. She, Kadin, and Altan kept almost exclusively to themselves and didn’t have any friends back home. Finally, she said, “From what little I know of children, they are smarter than most give them credit for. I am sure she will be alright.”

Julius rolled his forehead on the table so he could study Amira. She was sitting sideways on the bench with her knees pulled up to her chest, her back resting against the wall. Locks of dark hair fell out of her braid and into her face. Both of her hands were wrapped around her cup and she was now focused solely on it.

“What is it?” She asked, her eyes opening slowly and gazing down at him. She reminded him of a cat blinking. Even the shape of her eyes fit the image.

He sat up. “Nothing.” He looked back at her cup. “Can I try some of that?”

“Of course.” Amira reached into the pouch again and pulled out another teabag, passing it over to him. They sat at the table in comfortable silence, listening as the rest of the house woke up and began their day.

There were still a couple hours until Kadin and Vax’s experiments would be ready. Amira decided it was time for a bit of a workout. She’d been doing some basic forms and pattern dances in the mornings, of course, but she hadn’t done any real training in days. Besides, she could use it to distract herself for a while. Practicing always helped clear her mind. Getting some directions from the castle staff, she found herself in a training yard on the back side of the castle, near the guard barracks. There were already a number of people there, but like Amira would soon be, they were deep in concentration and didn’t mind the new arrival.

Amira set herself up at a straw dummy at the end of the line, as far away from anyone else as possible. She spent some time stretching before completely letting loose on the poor dummy with a series of strikes and kicks in quick succession. She focused on her movements and how they fit into the pattern, paying particular attention to the precision of her strikes and less on the strength of them.

She didn’t realize she had collected an audience until she stepped away from a moment to catch her breath and wipe her forehead. The others in the yard had shifted, coming over to watch her. A dark-skinned man with short black hair, carrying a crossbow, stepped out of the crowd to greet her. He was a bit older, probably in his forties or fifties, but still very handsome and wearing a half-gin with charm.

‘You show impressive skill,” he said, strolling over. He had a thick Marquesian accent, although Amira could still tell that he’d been away from home for a long while. “Tell me, where did you train?” he held a waterskin out to her.

Amira took it gratefully. “In Ank’harel, under _Ostad-_ Kasra.”

The man’s eyes widened, both surprised and impressed. “I have not lived in Ank’harel for many decades, but I know of Kasra. Even then, she seemed a formidable teacher. I have never trained under her myself, but I’ve heard rumors of her strictness and harsh training.”

Amira grinned. “I doubt the rumors do her justice,” she replied. “I am sure she is much worse than they say.”

The man laughed. “I believe it.” He held out his hand. “Jarett Hawarth.”

Amira took the hand and shook it. “Amira Safar.”

An eyebrow went up again. “I had no idea I was in the presence of nobility.” He took in the look on her face and added, “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone if you do not wish it.”

Amira’s body relaxed. “ _Sepâs_ ,” she said. “I am enjoying the anonymity of a new land.”

“Miss, if you don’t mind," a young man interrupted them. He’d come forward while they were talking. She nodded at him to continue. “I was watching you practice was wonderin’ if you’d spar with me.”

Amira’s eyes narrowed slightly and she grinned. “If you believe that to be wise,” she replied. The man seemed a little less confident but he still rolled up his sleeves and took a defensive stance. She shrugged. “As it is.” She took a similar stance and they began to circle each other. The rest of the people in the courtyard surrounded them to watch.

The fight lasted about thirty seconds and left Amira feeling more refreshed than she had in days. After she threw the man over her hip and straightened, she said to the watching crowd, “Alright, who is next?” A number of hands went up and Amira’s smile widened. This was going to be fun.

That was where Julius found her a while later, still fighting and still unbeaten. He walked up right as she struck the woman she was fighting between the neck and shoulder. The woman dropped.

“Looks like you’re enjoying yourself,” he commented, leaning casually against a nearby dummy. “Making some new friends? Hello, Jarett,” he added as the man passed by him, headed back to work. Jarett nodded at him.

Amira started. She’d been so intent on the match that she hadn’t seen him coming. “Julius! We were simply passing the time." She paused. "Is there word from Kadin and Vax yet?”

Julius shook his head. “I saw Vax a minute ago and he said they’re close, so it shouldn’t be long now.”

Amira tapped her fingertips against her thumb in a chaotic pattern. She was getting restless and wanted answers. Julius watched her for a long moment, “Do you want to see something interesting?” He suggested. Amira’s eyes lit up with curiosity and when Julius started walking forward, she followed.

He led her away from the main training area to a shooting range off to the side. No one else was in this area with them. Julius reached to his side and pulled out…

“A gun! I have read of them, but never seen one in person,” Amira exclaimed. She immediately began to reach for it but quickly stopped. “May I?”

Julius laughed and gently put the pistol into her outstretched hand. She carefully looked at it, turning it over in her hands. It was a beautiful piece made out of metal and polished whitestone. It had the word 'Legacy' engraved on the side and inlaid with red.

The delight on her face was contagious. “My father made it for me, and taught me how to shoot. I can show you how to fire it, if you like.” As he looked at the pure joy on her face, he was sure he was looking directly at the sun, beautiful and warm and dangerous.

“I would love that,” she said, pulling him back out of her overwhelming glow.

Leaving the safety on for the moment, Julius showed Amira how to hold and aim the gun, as well as how to keep it from hitting her in the face after she fired. Then he packed in the gunpowder and shot and gave it back to her, safety off. “Careful,” he warned as she lifted her arm, pistol in hand.

“Like this?” She asked.

“Almost.” He stepped up behind her and put one hand on her shoulder and the other on her raised elbow. He raised her arm a little higher and pulled her shoulder back slightly. “Alright. Now, make sure your arm is steady but not completely straight. Don’t want to break your arm. Good. Now lean forward just a little.” Amira was acutely aware of every place Julius’s body touched hers, and when he stepped back, she could still feel her skin tingling with the echo of his warmth. “Go ahead.”

Shifting her leg back slightly for extra balance, Amira fired. Even with the warning from Julius, the push-back from the gun was more than she’d been expecting. She stumbled slightly only to be caught by Julius, who had stayed close by. “You alright?” She nodded and righted herself. “Then let’s go see how you did.”

They strode together to the other side where the targets stood. “A little off-center, but not bad for your first try,” Julius commented, brushing his fingertips against the new hole in the target, right on the line between the second and third ring.

Amira looked around his shoulder and frowned. “I can do better,” she said after studying the target for a moment. She walked back to the other side, trailed by an intrigued Julius. “How many more shots?” She asked.

“In the pistol? Three more,” Julius answered.

Amira nodded and took the stance again, holding it for a moment, a pause as her body remembered the position it needed to be in. This time, she was much surer of herself. There was determination in her face. When she was satisfied that she had made the necessary adjustments, she steeled herself and fired the last three bullets in rapid succession.

They stepped back over to inspect the new shots. She still hadn’t hit the center circle, but all three holes were clustered right outside it. “And I thought you were intimidating before,” Julius commented with a grin.

Amira hummed noncommittally. “My body has a good memory,” she replied, handing the pistol back. Julius noted that she switched on the safety, even though he hadn’t told her to do it, or even how. “I do not think I would be so useful with it in a fight. I would not aim quick enough. Thank you for letting me try it, however.”

“Of course,” Julius put the pistol back in its holster. “Shall we go check in on our two little scientists?”

When they got down to the workshop, they found Elaina and Tiberius already there. The two were watching Kadin and Vax as they sat at a counter, whispering excitedly and frantically making notes on a paper that sat between them, arms crossing over each other as they desperately tried to get down any and all information. They were surrounded by books that they seemed to be consulting, and a map lay nearby with several things circled on it.

Kadin looked up as they came in. " _Khub_ , you are here. Come, make yourself useful." He held out a book, which Amira reluctantly came forward and took. "We are looking for reference of a pale blue and white flower that grows in swamps."

Amira moved some papers and hopped up onto the counter, crossing her legs under her. She set the book in her lap and, obligingly, began to scan it for mentions of this flower.

Julius moved over to stand with his twin siblings. "How long have they been at this?" He asked.

Elaina shrugged. "They've been going since we got here which was, what? Ten minutes ago?" She looked at Tiberius for confirmation.

"About," he answered.

Julius turned back and watched, fascinated, as Amira seamlessly inserted herself into Vax and Kadin's frantic energy. She looked through her book, made notes on the community note paper, whispered to the other two.

Ten more minutes went by.

Julius was considering finding another place to be for a bit when Kadin stood quickly and turned to the onlookers with a triumphant grin. "We did it," he said. "We think we know where Altan and Vox machina are."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, we get to see what Vox Machina has been doing, so stay tuned!
> 
> Salâm nâzanin-am - Hello my sweetest  
> Sohb bekheir - Good morning  
> Ostaad - a master, a teacher, a professional in their field  
> Sepâs - Thank you  
> Khub - Good
> 
> Scene Titles:  
> Viatorem gets the tea spilled  
> Amira and Julius have an early breakfast  
> Amira shows off  
> Amira and Julius have a fanfiction moment  
> We catch up on some science


	5. 4 - Strange Bedfellows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somewhere else in Exandria, Altan wakes up to find himself surrounded by legends. He and Vox Machina find a note that sheds some light on the situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fuck yeah! It’s finally time to see a bit of the other side of the story, now featuring Vox Machina, as promised. You’re welcome. Also, I’m just going to take the time off of my posting schedule but not the day. I’d still like to have chapters up by around noon, but that doesn’t seem to be feasible right now.

Altan sat up, rubbing his head. It felt like it was on fire. What had happened? Last he remembered, he had finished touring the castle and was walking back to the inn and then...nothing. He obviously hadn't made it back. The floor and walls around him were stone. He wasn’t on a bed and the people around him were not his group of friends. They looked older than he was, for sure, and none of them was his twin sister Amira or Kadin, his lover.

The others with him in the…cell? There were bars on the window and door, so it must be. The others with him in the cell were two gnomes, a human man, two half-elven women, and…was that a goliath? And a goliath. He didn’t recognize any of them. So why was he there? Where was Kadin? It worried him that he wasn’t there. Amira often wandered off by herself, but Kadin usually stayed close to the group, close to him.

One of the others, the human man with the white hair, stirred with a groan. Altan shifted back into the corner, where the bit of shadow could make him feel less exposed. “What the? Vex!” The man sat up quickly and looked around, noticing the half-elven woman with dark hair lying a few feet away. “Vex!” He called again, though softer this time, crawling over to try and shake her awake.

The woman didn’t wake up, but the bear lying next to her did. Altan instinctively reached for his daggers only to find immediately that they weren’t there. He shrunk back again. The man stood up and rubbed the bear’s head. “What’s happened to us, Trinket? Where are we?”

“We’re in pain is where we are,” the male gnome said, stumbling over to the man and bear, which didn’t seem to faze him at all. Altan was reminded of his friend Ursai and their panther Biscuit, who was less of a pet and more like another member of the team.

With time and some prodding, the others also came to consciousness. They all seemed to know each other, and based on the amount of kissing, the man and the dark-haired half-elf were together in some way, as well as the two gnomes. It made him uncomfortable.

He wanted his friends. He wanted Kadin.

After a minute, the other half-elf, a woman with short red hair, noticed him pulled into the corner. “Excuse me, who are you?” She asked.

“Altan Safar,” he said, coming forward. They seemed alright, he guessed, and they were just as trapped as he was. He stayed a little distance away, however. “And who are you?”

The gnome man jumped forward. “Why, we’re Vox Machina, friend! Haven’t you heard of us?”

“Oh, Vox Machina.” He racked his brain. He knew the name, but only faintly. He vaguely remembered his sister talk about them, but he tended to ignore her when she went on historical tangents. “ _Baleh_ , I know this name.”

“Your accent,” the human man interjected. “Marquesian?”

Altan nodded. “My sister Amira, Kadin, and I came over recently. We have only been in Tal’dorei for the past several months.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Altan,” the other gnome said, coming up to him with her hand out. “I’m Pike and this is Scanlan,” she said, nudging the other gnome with her elbow. He bowed with a flourish.

“And I’m Percival Frederickstein von Mussel Klossowski de Rolo III, Percy to my friends, and this is my wife, Vex’ahlia. Her bear is Trinket and there is Keyleth of the Air Ashari and that’s Grog.”

Altan nodded to each of them in turn. He remembered now. Kind of. “It is nice to meet all of you. I wish it were under better circumstances. As in, not mysteriously captured and trapped in a cell.”

“Safar…Safar…the name rings a bell,” Scanlan mused, stroking his chin. “Your family doesn’t happen to be nobility, does it?”

“I come from a lesser house, it is true,” Altan replied, surprised. “I did not expect you to be familiar with Ank’harel nobility.”

“I lived there for a time selling…ahem…antique furniture.”

“That sounds suspicious, but I will not question it now,” Altan said with a laugh. He stood up fully and walked over to the door. “For now, I would like to figure out how to get out of here.” He walked over to the door, tying his shoulder-length black hair back from his dark face with a deep blue ribbon Kadin had given him. It seemed like a simple cell door, with a lock like any other. He reached for his belt. “ _Haroum zadde_! They took my lockpicks. I should have seen that coming.”

“Language, young man,” Scanlan said, waggling his finger at Altan, who just scowled.

“It seems like all our possessions were taken,” Percy commented, looking around the room. “Makes sense. You don’t let the people you kidnapped keep the things that might get them out.”

“We could try magic,” Pike suggested.

“Magic doesn’t work here,” Keyleth said, shaking her head. “Watch.” She held out her hand and green energy began to form into a small flower in her palm but dissipated before it could take its full shape. “There’s something here that’s blocking it.”

Altan kicked at a small stone on the floor, sending it skittering at the wall. Trinket ran after it and rolled it back with his nose. Altan smiled. Whatever else was going on in his life, this bear was both adorable and irresistible. “What a good bear,” he said, scratching Trinket behind the ears. “You are probably very smart. How do you think we should get out of here?”

“What if I just, you know, tear the door off?” The goliath Grog said, speaking for the first time. Altan jumped. He should have expected the deep, booming voice but it still caught him off-guard.

Percy stepped aside and gestured toward the door. “Be my guest.”

Altan leaned over to the half-elf, Keyleth. “Are we sure this is a good idea?”

“Oh, it’s fine,” she replied lightly. “He’s really strong.”

Grog grinned, a child-like smile that both didn’t seem to fit him and also hit him perfectly. He grabbed the bars furthest from the hinges and pulled with his whole body. The metal creaked and bent until there was a click, a pause, and then a flash as the room filled with a blinding light. The accompanying wave of energy reverberated around the room, throwing them all back into the walls, even the goliath. Altan had just enough time to twist around so he hit his side instead of his head or spine, but he could feel where the bruises were going to be later.

When the air cleared, they could see that the corner of the door had been bent in. It wasn’t open, exactly, but there was some space. Enough space for a small, scrawny half-elf to slip through.

Altan walked over to the door. “I think I might be able to squeeze through,” he commented, looking the opening over. If he put his foot there, and used his hand to pull himself up there…he used the bent bars to get himself into the space. He was halfway through when he ran out of convenient footholds. “Ah, a little help, please?”

“Alright,” he heard Grog say behind him.

“What are you going to…oof!” His feet were yeeted over his head, forcing him into a backflip until he landed cat-like on the ground. He stood and brushed off his shirt. “Thank you, I suppose,” he laughed as he looked around, taking in his surroundings. The room they were in seemed to be at the far end of a long hallway.

“What do you see?” Percy asked from the other side of the bars.

“A hall, mostly. There is something at the other end. I am going to check it out.”

“Be careful!” Pike called after him as he slipped quietly down the hall. It was dimly lit and had no other doors along it. The only thing he found before it turned left at the end was a chest about twenty feet down. He looked it over carefully, wary after the explosion from before. He may not have a lot of knowledge in history, like his sister, but he knew traps. This chest didn’t seem to have any. It wasn’t even locked.

Carefully, continuing to look for anything out of the ordinary as he went, he opened the top. It was a lot bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside. He started pulling things out of it, stopping every so often to listen for footsteps or any sense that someone was coming to check on them. There was a lot of stuff in here, including, “My things!” He whispered, finding his belt, all his daggers, as well as his lockpicks and his armor, his money pouch, everything he’d had on him. He also found a bunch of other armor and weapons and bags. At the very bottom was a note. He put on his things, throwing everything else back in the chest before grabbing the note and the chest and taking them both back to the cell.

“I think I found all of our belongings. At least, I found mine, and I assume the rest belong to you,” he said, hefting the chest up and pushing it through the same hole he had used so the Grog could grab it and open it on their side.

“That sounds…weird,” Vex’ahlia said, coming up to the chest and beginning to divide its contents between them all. “Why would they keep us so close to our things, and leave the door unguarded? They should have known we’d try to escape.”

“Maybe this will explain it.” Altan passed the note to her.

Vex’ahlia took it and scanned it over. “Oh no.” She switched to reading the note out loud. “Vox Machina. Hello. If you’ve found this note, then I have not been disappointed by your skills or problem-solving abilities. I have been a fan of yours for years-“

“Oh boy,” Scanlan interjected. “A crazy fan. That explains so much.”

“I’ve been a fan of yours for years,” Vex’ahlia continued, “But I never seemed to be in the right place to see you in action. So, if I couldn’t come to you, I figured I’d just bring you to me. I hope you appreciate the great lengths I went to in order to bring you all together again. Except, of course, for Vax’ildan. Such a tragedy.” Vex’ahlia’s face scrunched up at this but she continued reading. “It was so lucky that I found a half-elven rogue to take his place right in Whitestone! He even has dark hair and a twin. It’s like Vax’ildan is still with you.”

Percy sighed. “I’m so sorry you got pulled into this.”

“It is not your fault.” Altan leaned against the wall behind him. “This person is twisted.”

Vex’ahlia put her hand up. “There’s more. Instructions.”

Keyleth looked over her shoulder and read, “I have set up a series of challenges. Nothing that should be too hard for seasoned adventurers such as yourselves, but challenges nonetheless. If you get through them all, you are free to go. If not, well, I suppose that goes without saying. Good luck, and I’ll be watching you.”

“Fucking creepy,” Grog said, staring at Vex’ahlia and Keyleth, dumbfounded.

“They talk like we’re just going to go on our way after this and not go back and kick their face in,” Scanlan said, walking over to the pile of stuff and putting on the things that belonged to him.

“Oh, we are definitely going to go after them once we get out,” Vex’ahlia replied, petting Trinket absently.

“Hey Pike,” Grog said, turning to the gnome. “Wanna help me get this door open?”

“Yeah!” She replied emphatically, punching one newly-gauntleted fist into the palm of her other hand. “Yeah.”

Grog, also wearing a huge pair of gauntlets, gave her a high-five that actually moved Altan's hair a little with the air it displaced. “Yeah, that’s my monstah.”

Pike grabbed the bottom of the door and Grog grabbed the top. Together they pulled it completely from the wall. Altan was impressed that someone so small was holding her own with the goliath. He was also standing about thirty feet away, just in case. With a loud snap, the door was pulled completely away from the stone wall, fortunately with no explosion this time.

The Vox Machina members filed out of the door, armored and armed and ready to go. Altan let them pass him, letting the more experienced people take the lead for now.

As she passed, Pike came up to Altan and put a hand on his arm. “The note, it said you have a twin.”

Altan nodded and began walking. “My sister, Amira. She is…hopefully she is back with the rest of our friends.” He shuddered. He didn’t want to think of any other possibilities.

Percy turned to put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure she’s fine, if maybe a bit worried for you.”

Altan laughed, but it sounded hollow. “More likely than that, she is angry. And that is what I am really afraid of. I am worried that she will do something reckless trying to find me, like when she jumped off a high cliff into the ocean because I had fallen and then lectured me all the way to shore. I only hope Kadin can keep her in check long enough to at least come up with a plan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Farsi meanings:  
> Baleh – Yes  
> Haroum zadde - Bastard
> 
> Scene Titles:  
> Meet the Cool Kids  
> Altan finds the Thing  
> And now they know  
> An Expected Escape  
> Exit, pursued by bear


	6. 5 - Uninviting Waters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The possible location for Vox Machina and Altan is revealed and Amira and Kadin, joined by Julius and the twins, make their way out of Whitestone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starting here, we’re going to be jumping back and forth between Amira and Altan. Hopefully it won’t be too confusing, so definitely let me know if something needs to be clarified.

The others just stared at Kadin and Vex in silence after Kadin’s statement. “You…what?” Julius said after a sufficiently dramatic pause.

“We were finally able to figure out a bit of what was in that powder, thanks to Kadin,” Vax began.

Kadin flapped his hand at him. “It was nothing. A simple distilling process. Your father already had all the equipment and substances I needed. From there, it was merely a waiting game.”

“And?” Amira asked.

Kadin and Vax looked at each other, and Vax replied, “We think they’re in Stilben.”

“I found something in the powder, something I have only found once before,” Kadin continued. “We even referenced some books to make sure that was the only place it could be found. Amira, do you remember when we found those mushrooms in that swamp outside of Stilben?”

Amira groaned. “How could I forget? I had the worst headache afterwards.”

“Mushrooms?” Julius asked, tilting his head a little.

“Mushrooms,” Kadin confirmed. “Amira, Altan, and Hildr rushed into a patch of them while we were trying to find a specific type of mushroom for a black dragon. He was using it to make hallucinogenic alcohol. In any case, the mushroom released a spore that made them hallucinate for a minute before passing out for several hours.”

“And you’re sure that’s what this is?”

Kadin nodded. “I was interested to see if these spores could be useful in some way, so I gathered some samples and performed a similar process. This powder reacted the same way.”

“Stilben is a three- or four-day journey from here,” Elaina interjected. “How are we going to get there?”

“We?” Julius asked, eyebrow raised. “You’re only sixteen. You’re not going.”

Elaina held his gaze. “You may need a healer, and I’ve learned a lot from Aunt Pike. I’m going with you.”

“I go where she goes,” Tiberius added. Lymus yipped in agreement.

“You are not going,” Julius insisted. “This is probably going to be really dangerous and I’m not going to be responsible if you die.”

“And what if you die and I could have saved you?”

“No.”

“But-“

“No.”

Elaina ignored him and turned back to Kadin, Vax, and Amira. “So, how are we going to get there?”

Amira and Kadin looked at each other. Amira raised her eyebrows and made a sweeping gesture that Kadin responded to by holding out his finger and closing his eyes. After a moment, he said, “I can get us there instantly. I know a spell that allows me to open portals between trees.”

Elaina’s eyes brightened. “Oh! Aunt Kiki can do that. You just have to know a tree that’s there and big enough.”

Kadin nodded. “And I have been there before. The tree I know is in the swamp, but it is not too far to Stilben from there. Perhaps an hour or two.”

“Today?” Julius asked.

“I can do it today. We simply need to prepare.”

Julius took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Then let’s get ready. Even you two,” he added, looking at the twins. “I hate it and I think it’s a terrible idea.”

Elaina beamed. “Noted.” She grabbed Tiberius by the arm and dragged him to the stairs before Julius could change his mind, Lymus chasing after them.

“Are you sure?” Amira asked, watching them leave.

Julius sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose under his glasses. “She’d find a way to go whether I want her to or not and Tibsy really does go with her everywhere. This way I can keep an eye on them, at least.”

Amira patted him on the shoulder. “You and Kadin can meet up and complain about troublesome twins. I am sure you both will have plenty to say on the subject.” She turned and walked out of the room, leaving Kadin, Vax, and Julius behind.

Kadin watched her go. “I should probably make sure she actually went to get ready,” he said, resigned. “Let us meet by that tree in the center of town when we are done. I hate to leave you to clean all this up…” He added to Vax.

Vax waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. Go and find everyone. I don’t know Altan, but the others are my family and I want them back.” He and Julius looked at each other and nodded.

“Then let’s go.”

The group made quick work of their preparations and were at the base of the Sun Tree by mid-afternoon. As ready as they were trying to be, Julius was still nervous and kept resting his hand on his pistol and tapping the grip with his fingers. He wasn’t the only one filled with nervous energy. Amira looked like she was seconds away from making a portal in the tree with her fist.

Once everyone was there, Kadin stepped forward. “Is everybody ready?” It wasn’t really a question but an announcement that it was time to get moving. The portal opened and they all stepped through.

They stumbled out of the other side and into the murk of the swamp. Amira recognized the area immediately. She turned to glare at Kadin “You could not have chosen a different tree in the swamp?"

Kadin smiled sheepishly. “It was the best tree I could think of. We can, however, avoid the patch easily. Now please, follow me.” He moved through the swamp, the others trailing after him.

Julius had traveled many places with his family, and Stilben had been one of them. It was the place his parents met, so it had sentimental meaning. He’d never been to the swamp, though. Swamps weren’t really a popular vacation spot. Now he could see why. Or rather feel and smell why. The air smelled like decay and was so thick with moisture that the scent was seeping into him through his skin. He tried to breathe in through his mouth to perhaps give his nose a rest, but instead started coughing violently as the air coated his mouth and throat.

The others heard and turned to him. “Are you alright?” Tiberius asked as he and Elaina ran over to their brother.

He waved them off. “I’ll be fine in a moment,” he rasped, bent nearly in half as he tried to calm his coughing. They stepped back to give him some air and watched as Julius had his feet pulled out from under him, dragging him into a different part of the swamp.

“What the-“ he yelled as he was dragged off by his ankles. He could hear the shouting of his siblings and new friends, but it was becoming more and more distant. He twisted so that his back was dragging instead of his front, intending to take out a dagger and try to free himself. Instead he froze as he realized what exactly he was hurtling towards.

Lying in wait between the bushes was a mound of sticks, leaves, and mud. If he hadn’t seen it move, Julius would have mistaken it for a small hill. The stench permeating the air got stronger the closer he got to the monster.

Amira was the first to make it to Julius, her light feet finding quick purchase. She rushed across the muddy ground, using rocks and tree roots and anything else solid to propel herself forward. She arrived at the mound just in time to see Julius disappear into it.

“Julius!” She shouted as she ran. All she got in response was a muffled cry. Once she was close enough, she leapt towards the spot where she saw him vanish. Just before she landed, an arm-like blob of mud and sticks hit the side of her ribs, knocking her into a nearby tree. She smacked into it with an uncomfortable crunch and crumpled to the ground, gasping.

She’d just managed to pull herself into a standing position when the others ran into view. “Where’s Julius?” Elaina called. Amira, still struggling to breathe, pointed at the mound of earth and rock and plant.

Elaina immediately reached out her hand and called out a spell, the pale grey energy of it streaking towards the mound. It blasted a hole in the side and she could just see Julius through it, but it closed back up immediately, seemingly doing no damage.

Amira darted back in, more prepared this time, dodging the attack before landing two heavy hits with her fists. She saw some of the wood crack under the weight of her strikes, but it didn’t seem to do much damage.

“Out of the way!” Amira heard Kadin call from behind her. She leapt off of the mound, rolling over her shoulder as soon as she hit the ground. She popped back up just in time to see a bolt of pink energy from Kadin’s hand hit the mound and burst into a ball of fire. They immediately had to cover their ears as a high-pitched screeching noise pierced the air.

When the smoke cleared, they could now see the slightly-singed body of Julius, half out of the mound. Amira was already batting away newly formed pseudo-pods to get to him. She could tell immediately that he was unconscious. “Hold on,” she said softly, wrapping her arms around him. “I will get you to safety.” She pulled, dragging him out of the mound inch by inch. A vine whipped out to try and stop her but it was pinned to the main body by an arrow from Tiberius.

Another bolt of fire from Kadin hit and the mound shuddered. Amira slipped as the ground beneath her feet suddenly became wet and muddy and she started to sink. “Kadin!” She called out as she struggled to keep both herself and Julius from slipping further. “Help!”

Kadin looked over and immediately threw out his own whip-like vine, wrapping it around Amira’s outstretched arm. Amira cried out in pain as she and Julius were dragged out by her arm and pulled along the ground until they both lay at Kadin’s feet.

Elaina rushed over, kneeling down by her brother. “Please be alright,” she whispered as she put her hands on her brother’s chest, glowing faintly grey. A couple tense seconds went by before Julius gasped in a breath, his eyes thrown wide open.

“What?” He rasped, glancing around frantically. Elaina wrapped her arms around him, relief evident in the slumping of her body.

Amira dashed back into the fight. The thing didn’t seem to move very much, so Kadin and Tiberius could hold it back on their own, but it was still helpful to have someone up front. She didn’t seem to be doing much damage, but she could at least be a distraction. Lymus ran up and joined her, pulling out pieces of vine and wood with his teeth.

There was a loud sound behind her, which she could now recognize as a gunshot, and she instinctively covered her face as she was peppered with bits of wood and plant from a place overhead. She looked up and saw a smoldering hole just above her head, flames licking the sides. She glanced back and saw the dying spark of fire at the end of Julius’s pistol. He hadn’t taught her that trick.

She turned back to the mound just in time to see another appendage strike out at her, hitting her directly on her elbow. She cried out as her arm broke, the pain making her dizzy. She recovered quickly, dodging the next attack, but now she could only use her left arm. She shifted into a different stance to keep her balance.

She was still sinking into the mud beneath her, although slower now that she wasn’t also bearing Julius’s weight. Still, before she could drop and lower, she climbed up the side of the mound and began to attack it from above. The next thirty seconds were a flurry as she and the others hit the creature with everything they had.

Finally, Kadin threw one last burst of fire and the thing screeched as it went entirely up in flames. Amira flipped off of it just in time, landing unsteadily on the ground. The muddy area had spread and she lost her footing, rolling forward into a somersault and landing on her broken arm. Stars burst behind her eyes as she gasped in pain.

Everyone ran over to make sure she was okay. Julius was the closest and got to her first. He helped her up into a sitting position, supporting her back with his arm. “Are you alright? What happened?”

Amira shook her head. “My arm,” she choked out.

Elaina was at her other side immediately. “Let me see.” She gently picked up Amira’s arm, causing the other girl to hiss sharply. “Yeah, it’s definitely broken. Give me a moment.” Her hands glowed that same pale grey color and Amira winced as the bone knitted itself together and she could feel her muscles shift over it, which was a decidedly uncomfortable feeling. But when it was all over, Amira’s arm no long hurt and she could move it freely again.

Amira sighed in relief. “Thank you, _aziz-am_.” She stood up, accepting Julius’s helping hand. “Is everyone else alright?” They all nodded. No one else was severely injured. Amira, fighting at the front, had taken the brunt of the monster’s attacks.

Kadin touched his friend’s shoulder, subtly adding his own small amount of healing. “Let us get down to Stilben before anything else attacks,” he suggested.

Amira squinted at the sky and the setting sun. “And preferably before dark,” she added. “I could use a soft bed, a hot meal, and a good deal of alcohol.” Kadin laughed and began leading the way out of the swamp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Farsi translations:  
> Aziz-am - my friend
> 
> Scene titles:  
> The gang gets the scoop  
> Leaving Whitestone  
> Arrival in Stilben  
> Fight with a mud monster  
> Recovery


	7. 6 - In Ruins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Altan and Vox Machina find themselves in a difficult maze filled with turns, traps, and talking about siblings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Look at me, all not-dead and stuff. Physically, at least. The jury is still out on my mental health. So, I have some explaining to do, and I hope you’ll bear with me. Story time. Back in March, my computer screen broke and a few days later, quarantine was announced, so I didn’t really have a chance to get it looked at and hooking it up to my tv screen didn’t work. Could I have revised a previous draft? Absolutely. Was I going to? Obviously not. So anyway, yesterday I plugged it into an older tv and, lo and behold, I could actually see what I was doing. I immediately copied all of my files off of it in case the magic broke and now I have all of my more recent writings back. Yay! I’m going to post this chapter now, just to get it out there because damn. I should be able to resume my regular posting schedule next Thursday.

Altan was moments away from banging his head against the wall as he stared at yet another dead end in this maze they'd ended up in. It didn't help that there was no visible light source, just an ominous green glow that seemed to come from everywhere. "I almost wish we were back in the cell," he admitted, settling for just resting his forehead on the stone.

Percy shook his head. "Whoever designed this has way too much time on their hands." He put a hand on the wall, staring at it like he was waiting for the bricks to tell him something, give him a hint as to where they led.

"Hildr would tell us to just keep turning left and keep taking lefts until something interesting happened," Altan laughed, pushing back off the wall. "At least, that is what she said when we ended up in that hedge maze. Kadin grew a line of little jasmine flowers as we went, so we would know where we had been before, and kept turning left until we found a fountain at the center of it all. Then we used the flowers and Desdemona's perfect memory to get back out again."

"It's not bad advice," Vex'halia said, looking back the way they had come.

Scanlan sighed. "This is going to take forever, isn't it?" They'd already been in the maze for a few hours at least and there was no way to tell if they were making any progress.

"Maybe we should rest," Pike suggested. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm starting to get tired of all this walking."

In response, Altan flopped onto the ground, lying on his back with his arms and legs spread out like a star. Percy laughed and sat down next to him, leaning his head back against the wall and stretching his legs out in front of him. Vex'halia laid down on his other side, resting her head in his lap.

Grog was still looking at the walls around them. "I have the Titanstone Knuckles," he began. "Maybe we could just, you know, punch our way through."

"Yeah!" Pike agreed emphatically.

"I like your thinking, friend," Altan laughed. "You would get along well with Tofi. He is the one who suggested burning down the hedge maze."

"As entertaining as that would be, I don't know how well it would actually work," Percy said, absently stroking Vex'halia's hair. "We don't know which direction the exit is from where we are now. We could end up doing a lot of work and getting nothing out of it."

"Yeah, but it would be funny," Grog replied with a hearty laugh.

"We'll make that our plan b," Percy assured him. "For now, I actually like Altan's plan of keeping to the left. That way we at least will be less likely to go in circles down paths we've already traveled on."

"But first, a nap," Altan said, dramatically throwing an arm over his eyes. "Now that I am down, I do not want to get up again."

"I don't mind taking a short break, but I really want to get out of here," Keyleth said. "I hate being underground."

"That is Kadin," Altan replied. "I joke sometimes that he is wilting like a plant without sunlight. And then, of course, Amira makes some obscene comment about me 'watering his plant' or some such."

Scanlan chortled, "That's amazing," as he joined the others on the ground.

An hour later, they were off again. Altan actually managed to get a little bit of sleep during that time. "You were snoring," Scanlan said, astonished. "When we used to sleep in trees, it would take me forever to actually fall asleep."

Altan laughed. "Amira and I have always prided ourselves on our ability to sleep anywhere at any time. One time, we were at a court meeting with our parents and we slept standing up, leaning on each other for balance. Mother and Father were so mad when they had to wake us up to leave. The other nobles were complimenting them on having such well-behaved children. We laughed about that for weeks."

"Your sister sounds like a very lively person," Keyleth commented.

"You do not know the half of it," Altan said, shaking his head. "I have heard we get it from our mother."

Pike put a hand on his arm. "It sounds like you two are really close."

Altan continued to smile, but it was softer now. "Yes, we are. For most of our lives, it was just us and Kadin, who was a ward at our house."

"We'll get you back to them, I promise," Pike assured him.

Altan nodded and straightened, brushing off the back of his pants. "Well, shall we continue on?" He suggested, already walking away, his face back in a neutral expression.

The maze was claustrophobically small, only about five feet wide from wall to wall and about ten feet high. Grog could easily reach the roof just by putting his arm up. They had to basically walk in a single-file line to get through. Scanlan and Pike could walk side-by-side fairly comfortably, but they were the only ones. Altan could understand why Keyleth hated it. She was a druid like Kadin, and Kadin acted much the same whenever he was forced to go into a cave or mine or any other place where sunlight did not reach, just the green glow that was starting to mess with his eyes. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to see other colors after this.

After a while, they turned into a hallway that was much brighter than the others they'd been through. At the end of the hallway was a sheet of fire that went from floor to ceiling and stretched to touch both walls.

"Well, this is clearly another dead end," Altan commented, already turning around. He could feel the heat of it from all the way over here. He was no stranger to warmth, but deliberately walking through fire was a bit much.

"Not so fast," Scanlan replied, stepping closer to the wall and squinting. He got right up to it, looked it over for a moment, and then stepped right through.

"Scanlan!" Vex'ahlia yelled after him.

"I'm alright," he called back, his voice muffled from the roaring of the flames. "It's just an illusion. Come on through!"

The rest of them approached carefully. Keyleth, Percy, and Vex'ahlia had no troubles stepping through like Scanlan did, calm and cool and unafraid. Altan looked at the fire, felt its heat. He was having a hard time convincing himself that it wasn't real. Grog was much the same. They hovered together a few feet back.

"It's okay, Grog," Pike said, patting his knee. "See?" She stuck her hand into the fire and pulled it back out again.

Grog gasped and grabbed her hand, flipping it back and forth to make sure she wasn't injured. "Don't scare me like that, Pike."

"I'm fine, Grog. How about this? How about you close your eyes and hold my hand, and we'll walk through together," she suggested.

Grog nodded. "Alright." His large hand swallowed her small one, but it still seemed like such a natural gesture and the trust in it was obvious. He closed his eyes. Before they stepped through, Pike looked up at Altan and held out her other hand and gave him a look that said, ‘you can come with us too, if you like.’ With a small smile, Altan took her other hand and closed his own eyes.

"1...2...3!" Pike counted. They stepped forward. The heat was intense for just a moment and then it was chilly again, like the rest of the corridors had been.

Altan opened his eyes and looked behind them. The fiery wall was still there, but it didn't look as threatening from this side. He dropped Pike's hand and she smiled at him.

"I think that trick is very promising," Percy said as they continued forward. "It might mean that we're on the right track. Why put a guard on something unless there's something there to be guarded?"

They kept going left and left and left. The halls all blurred together and keeping track of time was impossible and it was all making Altan feel very weary. Which is probably why he didn't even have the energy to be surprised when they found a statue blocking their way. Said statue was of a large and rather buff looking human sitting in front of a table, his elbow propped up on it and his hand out. Grog's eyes lit up immediately.

"Is that what I think it is?" He asked, stepping up to it.

Scanlan laughed. "I think it is, big guy. Try it out."

Grog stepped up to the statue and matched the position of its arm, grabbing the hand. As soon as he started to apply force, there was a creaking noise and the statue pressed back. The rest of Vox Machina was a cacophony of shouts of encouragement as he and the statue went back and forth. Altan found himself caught up in the excitement.Sweat was starting to pour down Grog's forehead when, with one final push, he slammed the statue hand onto the table with a roar.

The statue hand moved back into its original position and the entire set sunk into the floor until a slab of stone slid over it, leaving the path open for them.

"Did you see that, Pike?" Grog asked excitedly, starting forward again.

"You did so good, Grog!" Pike jumped up onto Grog's shoulders and hung off of him like a backpack.

They kept walking and walking and walking. Altan was finding it hard to keep his eyes open and his blinks began to get slower and more frequent. He didn't even notice when the group stopped in front of him, running straight into Keyleth.

"Oh,  _ bebakshid _ ," he mumbled.

"I think it's time to rest," Percy said, watching him fall asleep standing. "Scanlan, can you do the mansion?"

"Sure." He waved his arms around for a minute but nothing happened. "Or...maybe not."

"More magic blocking," Keyleth suggested. "We may have to camp. I hope everyone packed their sleeping bags," she added lightly.

"I'm doing alright," Vex'ahlia said. She certainly seemed to be the most alert out of all of them. "I'll stay up for a while. Keep watch."

"Wake me up in a few hours, then," Keyleth said, already lying down. They didn't have bedrolls or any kind of padding, so they would have to make do.

"And Keyleth can wake me up a few hours after that," Percy finished. He rolled up the deep blue cloak he was wearing and put it under his head as a pillow. That was actually a really good idea. Altan followed suit, curling up into a ball.

He thought it would be easy to sleep. His nap had gone so well earlier. But with everything so quiet and the green glow ominously surrounding him, he was at the mercy of all his thoughts and worries. He kept trying different positions but nothing seemed to work.

"Can't sleep either?" Vex'ahlia whispered from nearby.

Altan sighed. "I wish I could. But I keep thinking about my sister and my friends. I have no idea what happened to them when I disappeared. Were they also taken? Were they hurt? If they were not, they have definitely noticed that I am gone. Amira and I have never been away from each other overnight before. It is not sitting well with me."

Vex'ahlia chuckled softly. "You sound like me and my brother. For most of our lives, we spent every moment we had together."

"This is your brother who is gone?"

"Yeah, my twin. He's been gone for over thirty years, but I still miss him a lot."

"I am sorry," Altan said, rolling onto his back. "I do not know how I would live if Amira was gone."

"When I finally got a chance to mourn, it didn't feel like living at all," Vex'ahlia replied, her voice cracking. "But I had a husband to love, and friends around me, and the pain eased. But no more talking of sad things," she added. "Try to get some sleep."

Altan curled back up on his side and closed his eyes. Next thing he knew, he was waking again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Farsi translations:  
> Bebakshid - I’m sorry/Excuse me
> 
> Scene Titles:  
> Vox Machina Takes a Nap  
> Altan has an emotion  
> Grog gets scared by fire  
> Grog gets back into wrestling  
> Altan and Vex have insomnia


	8. 7 - Dark Dealings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira and friends arrive in Stilben and get to work looking for clues. Amira and Julius talk to the Clasp while Kadin, Elaina, and Tiberius look for some miners.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ll be honest, I’m kind of nervous about how the switching-back-and-forth thing will go over, so please let me know if you have any questions/comments/concerns.

By the time they got down into Stilben, the town was mostly quiet. Work was over and everyone had settled into their homes or one of the local taverns. Amira's pace quickened when they reached the outskirts of town as she made a beeline for the Sunset Stride Tavern, where Viatorem had stayed the last time they were here.

The streets outside may have been empty, but inside was anything but. When they opened the door, they were hit with a comforting wall of warm air and noise.

They managed to find one empty table squished between two overly-full ones. Amira immediately ordered their strongest ale, drank it down, and ordered another one while Kadin looked on with resigned disapproval.

Julius leaned over to Kadin and whispered, "Is it alright for her to be doing this? We have a lot to do tomorrow."

Kadin rolled his eyes. "It is fine. She is annoyingly resistant to hangovers, and I can keep her out of most trouble." He ordered a strawberry mead for himself and sipped it while watching his friend get into a drinking contest with a gruff looking woman at the bar..

The next morning, Julius glared at Amira across the breakfast table while she drank her tea and ate some eggs with toast. Kadin had been right. Amira was irritable, sure, but no more than she was on a normal morning, while he had a raging headache even though he'd drunk half as much as she had.

"So," Kadin began as he started eating his own toast. "Where are we going to start?"

Amira stared at him blankly over her tea cup. "I did not think that far ahead," she groaned. "And it is too early for such questions."

"If you are awake, it is late enough," Kadin replied. Amira just face-planted into the table as a response.

"You said it was a cave?" Elaina asked.

Kadin nodded. "So far as I could tell. Scrying is only exact in relation to the subject of the scry. Everything else is faded and indistinct."

"Miners?" Tiberius suggested.

Elaina nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe, someone could have dug it out, or it could be a natural cavern. Either way, if we can find any miners, they may have more information."

"If it is in the mountains," Amira countered. "It could be underground in the city, or simply a place with no windows." She paused. "I may be able to get into contact with.certain people who may know more."

Kadin looked at her skeptically. "We are far from the unsavory individuals you know."

Amira grinned. "Yes, but we unsavory types can always find each other. Otherwise nothing in the underworld would ever get done."

"You're going to contact the Clasp?" Julius asked.

"If I can, yes."

"But they're dangerous."

Amira's grin widened and her golden eyes narrowed, making her look feline, and her body stance shifted to make her menacing, like she was about to pounce. "So am I," she said. Her low voice gave him shivers, though not from fear, and he knew that she was much more dangerous than he had yet realized.

In a flash, the threatening aura was gone and Amira was back to normal. "Shall we go then?" She asked. "We can split into two groups. Someone can go with me and the others will go look for some miners."

"Tibsy and I can look for miners," Elaina volunteered.

Julius opened his mouth to say he'd go with them when Kadin interrupted. "I will go with you, then, and Julius can go with Amira." He smiled. "It is someone else's turn to deal with Amira's suspicious friends." He shot an unreadable look at Amira that the girl appeared to actively ignore.

"Wonderful," Amira replied, looping her arm through Julius's. "Let us meet at those food stalls down by the docks once we are finished.

Kadin cocked his head at Amira. "You just wish to get yourself some food."

Amira shrugged. "It will probably be around lunchtime by then." She started dragging Julius away, calling over her shoulder, "I will buy you something sweet,  _ omr-am _ ."

Kadin shook his head and started walking the other way, trailed by the twins. "She is hopeless, as always. Let us see what we can find."

"Are you sure Kadin will be alright with them?" Julius asked.

Amira waved off his concern with her free hand, her other still linked with his. "Kadin is one of the most powerful people I know. They will be fine."

"I was more worried about his sanity," he mumbled.

Amira smirked. "If Altan and I have not managed to break him after twenty years together, I cannot think of what your twins could do in a few hours that would do it. Do not doubt."

Julius smiled. He didn't doubt that. He'd only known her a few days but he could tell she was a handful. And if there were two of her wandering around? Chaos. But he supposed when they rescued her brother, he'd find out for himself.

Amira picked a street and they began to walk casually down it, Amira's eyes wandering lazily over everything around them. Julius looked, too, but didn't see anything that caught his interest. It was just a regular street that went through a regular neighborhood.

They continued in this way for a couple of hours, peacefully walking as Amira picked seemingly-random streets for them to go down. They ended up in areas that were steadily declining in quality until they were in what was clearly one of the worst areas of town.

Julius stumbled as Amira stopped short and then pulled him into an alleyway. "What?"

"Just a moment." She ducked down and brushed the dust off of some stones at the corner of a building. Peering over her shoulder, Julius could see a symbol carved there, one he didn't recognize.

"That's what you were looking for?"

"Yes." She stood up and walked around to the front of the building. It was a small general store, meant to supply the surrounding houses with basic everyday items so they wouldn't have to go into the main part of town. Amira pushed open the door. "Hello?"

A slender blue tiefling with golden hair stood in the back of the room, stretching on the tip of her toes to put something on a high shelf. She hopped a little to get it the last couple inches and then brushed her hands off as she turned to look at them. "Hello," she replied in a cheery voice that did not match her full-black eyes at all. "My name is Mara. How can I help you?"

"We are actually looking for a friend of ours," Amira said as she walked up to the counter. She began to drag her fingers along it lazily. "We were hoping you could help."

The tiefling watched her finger, curious. When Amira removed her hand from the wood, Mara blinked twice and said, "I don't believe I can help you, sorry. I haven't seen anyone else all day." She grasped one of Amira's hands in both of hers. "I'm sorry."

Amira smiled at her and pulled her hand away. "Time is a precious thing, and I thank you for your generous gift of it, regardless." She gave a short bow and then left the shop, Julius following after her in a daze. That had not gone any way that he expected. But Amira didn't seem to be at all disappointed with how it went.

"What was that?" He asked when they had walked a little way. "I thought we were here to ask about the Clasp, not Altan. And why did you think she would know, anyway?"

"I did not think she would know. That was not the point," Amira replied. She reached into a pocket and pulled out a piece of paper with the same symbol on it as the building.

Julius looked at it through scrunched-up eyebrows. "What's on that?"

"A time and an address," Amira answered simply. "Now I suppose we have some time to kill."

"Wait, an address? To what?"

"I assume the entrance to the thieves' guild. The Clasp, as you called them. Please, Julius, keep up."

Julius was still baffled by what he had seen. "But neither of you said anything about the Clasp."

"Of course not. We are a paranoid bunch. But shady people always know how to communicate with other shady people."

Finally, it clicked. "The way your finger was moving."

"Was thieves' cant, yes, although a more simplified and universal version of it."

Julius shook his head and followed her back into the shopping part of town. He was having a hard time reconciling the Amira in front of him with the stories of the moody people his parents met while dealing with the Clasp - they were always dark and brooding or tough and ruthless. Amira, with her cheerful sarcasm and flippant humor was none of that. But she seemed to be able to handle herself around those types of people.

He'd try not to worry about it too much.

And probably end up worrying about it a lot.

Julius nearly ran into Amira when she stopped suddenly, head tilted up towards the sky. "This way!" She grabbed Julius's hand and ran off down the street.

A couple turns later, the two burst into a street market. They could see a few different food stalls along the path. Amira went straight for one of them and got two sticks of cooked meat and vegetables.

"Kebabs," Amira said as she handed one over to Julius. "I smelled the spices of home and had to see if I was right."

Julius examined the stick before taking a bite of some of the meat. It was much spicier than anything he usually ate. He coughed as it hit the back of his throat. Amira laughed at him. "It's good," he wheezed.

Amira went back to the stall and came back with a few pieces of a flat bread. She handed one to Julius. "Here, this will help."

Julius took a bit. It tasted good and did help a little with the burning. "Is all your food from back home this exciting?"

"Compared to your boring food here?" Amira smirked. "Absolutely."

Julius said nothing and took another bite of the kebab. It really was delicious, even if he was starting to lose feeling in his face. They moved to a nearby bench and sat in comfortable silence while they ate.

Amira finished first and leaned back. She reached into her bag and pulled out a stringed instrument he'd never seen before. She started plucking at it, a melody that was simple and soothing.

"What instrument is that?" He asked as she played. "I don't think I've seen it before."

"That is not surprising," Amira replied. "It is a common instrument in Marquet, but not many carry it across the sea. It is called a tanbur."

"A tanbur," he repeated. "My Uncle Scanlan made sure all of us knew how to play an instrument. I learned the flute."

"Why did you pick that one."

Julius thought for a moment. "Well.I guess I liked the way his fingers moved when he played." He looked down at his hands. "It sounds really weird, now that I've said it out loud."

Amira chuckled. "You are fine. I learned how to play the tanbur because I saw a street performer playing one while my family was walking through Ank'harel. I liked the shape of it so much that I snuck out and tried to steal it. I was only seven at the time, so I was not so proficient in sneaking as I am now. The man, whose name was Farrakh, said that he liked my tenacity and would teach me to play, if I wanted, and show me how to make my own instrument."

"That's very generous of him."

Amira nodded. "Sad to say, but he was one of my only friends growing up, outside of Kadin and Altan, of course."

Julius smirked. "I know you're impossible on the best of days, but it's hard to believe no one wanted to be your friend."

Amira nudged him playfully with her elbow. "I will take that as a compliment," she said. "However, Altan, Kadin, and I were rather insular growing up. The only people our parents would let us associate with were those in our own social circles, and we did not particularly like any of them. They were boring. We preferred to hang around thieves and scoundrels. Well, Altan and I did. Kadin went along to make sure we did not get ourselves killed." She finished the song she'd been playing and began strumming an assortment of chords, in no particular order.

Julius leaned back with her and closed his eyes, simply listening to the music for a moment. "As adventurers, my parents and their friends met all kinds of different people, so my siblings and I also met different kinds. I exchange letters with people in most major cities in Tal'dorei."

Amira sighed. "That sounds wonderful. I have already met so many interesting people since Kadin, Altan, and I came here. I never would have been friends with any of my companions if I had stayed home."

"You do know some interesting people," Julius said with a laugh.

Amira smiled. "This is true. They are an eclectic bunch. It is why my brother and I fit right in."

"Sounds like my parents and their friends. A bag of misfits."

"As you say." Amira stood up. "We should probably start looking for the others. Or at least start looking for some lunch. All that the kebab did was make me hungrier."

Julius laughed and followed after her as they headed for the meeting spot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Farsi Translations:  
> Omr-am - my life
> 
> Scene Titles:  
> Arrival in Stilben Proper  
> The gang makes a plan  
> Amira and Julius look for the Clasp  
> Amira does some cool thief shit  
> Julius and Amira eat spicy food and talk about music


	9. 8 - The Trick About Falling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Altan and Vox Machina continue their trek through the maze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I blame the lateness (by only, like an hour and a half, so whatever) on the fact that this quarantine sucks and time is an illusion.

Altan groaned. The floor had not been at all comfortable and he was feeling it in all of his muscles. At least when they camped, they could find somewhere grassy and they had bedrolls. He could now safely say that he did not want to sleep on a bare stone floor ever again.

They had a breakfast of dry rations, a silent affair that was gotten over with as soon as possible so that they could move on with this impossible maze.. Hopefully, they wouldn't have to survive off of them for long. There was only so much jerky and dried fruits Altan could eat before the desperation for fresh food kicked in.

They'd been walking for about an hour when Scanlan said, "I know this is way too late to be useful, but should we have been marking where we've been?"

"Perhaps," Percy replied. "I suppose this map I've been making will have to do." He held up a parchment paper that was, indeed, covered in lines to represent where they had already been. Scanlan snorted, unsurprised.

They continued on for another couple of hours, or at least what felt like hours. It was impossible to keep track of time without a changing sky. They also hadn't found another trap or trick for a while, which was honestly making Altan a little nervous. They should have found something by now, shouldn't they?

He had spoken too soon.

They turned the corner and found themselves walking through a field of small red flowers. They stretched the length and breadth of the hall and were growing out of actually real dirt, something they hadn't seen yet.

Keyleth bent down to inspect them, causing a puff of yellow pollen to appear in the air. Altan sneezed. "Sorry," Keyleth said. She looked at the flowers again. 'I don't think I've seen this type of flower before." She picked one and held it up to her face.

"Careful, Keyleth," Vex'ahlia warned. "We don't know what could happen. The flowers might be dangerous."

"This isn't the Feywild, Vex. We'll be fine," Keyleth said, her eyes still glued to the flower.

Percy groaned. "If you say anything about being golden gods, I will walk us all the way back to the cell so I can lock you in it."

Keyleth gave him a reproachful look. "You jump off a cliff one time."

Altan yawned. He was suddenly very tired. His poor sleep from last night must have been catching up with him. Maybe he could lay down and rest, just for a moment. The flowers looked so soft and comfortable.

"Altan!" He heard Pike call. He opened his eyes. When did he close them? And he was lying on the ground. The delicate flowers and gentle soil were infinitely more appealing to sleep on than hard stone. He just wanted to rest, just for a moment.

When his eyes opened next, he was in a different location, back on uncomfortable stone. Vex'ahlia and Scanlan were lying next to him. "What happened?" He rasped. His throat was incredibly dry.

"Oh good, you're awake." Keyleth appeared by his side, holding up a waterskin. He wriggled himself into a sitting position and drank gratefully.

"To the best of my knowledge," he replied with a wry smile. "But again, what happened? Why are Scanlan and Vex'ahlia asleep?"

Keyleth looked down at her sleeping friends. "They passed out in that flower field. So did you. One second you were standing there, talking, and the next you were on the ground, fast asleep. It must have been the pollen from the flowers." She grinned. "I took some to see if I can make it into something later. I've been practicing making potions."

Altan rubbed his eyes. He still felt drowsy, even sitting up. "How did we get out, then?" He could see the end of the flower field at the other end of this hall.

"Grog carried you and Vex'ahlia out. Pike carried Scanlan."

Altan huffed out a breath. "I will have to thank him then."

Keyleth chuckled. "That may be more difficult to do than you think, but you're welcome to try." She held out her hand to help him up.

They heard a groan behind them and looked to find that Vex'ahlia was also stirring. She sat up and rubbed her head. "Well, that could have gone better."

Percy, hearing her voice, rushed over to help her stand. "Darling, are you alright?"

Vex'ahlia nodded. "Just a headache, dear. I'll be fine." Trinket sidled up to her and nudged her hips with his head. Vex'ahlia reached down to scratch him behind the ears. "I know, dear. I'm sorry." The bear grumbled and stayed at her side.

"How long were we out?" Altan asked, a little afraid of the answer.

"About an hour," Percy replied. Ah, so not that bad. Altan had almost been expecting days.

"Fucking flowers, who knew?" Scanlan, apparently awake now, came to stand with them.

"Now that everyone's awake, shall we move on?" Percy asked. "I believe we have wasted enough time here. So, as long as everyone's feeling up to it, we should get going."

"I do not know," Altan said with an exaggerated yawn. "I think we could stand to waste a little more time on a nap."

Pike gave him a side-eye look that reminded him violently of Kadin, and his heart sank a little. He missed him a lot. He missed his sister and their friends, of course. But Kadin kept him grounded, and he could use a bit of that right now.

"We'll see how far we get before feeling like we're about to fall off our feet," Percy said as he started leading the way onward.

Several turns later, they found their next encounter - a stretch of hall where the walls, floor, and ceiling were made of a kind of sponge. Altan put his foot on it and it immediately started to suck him down. He pulled back out quickly.

"That's a problem," Scanlan said, coming to look at the sponge. "I can get me and Pike across, but what about the rest of you?"

Altan put his foot down again, this time paying more attention to the details. His foot started to sink again, but it took a moment. "I believe," he said slowly," We may be able to run across if we are quick and don't stop."

"I can use my broom," Vex'ahlia commented. "I'll fly above the runners in case something happens." She reached into a bag at her side and pulled out a broom. As soon as she sat on it and said a word in Draconic, she began to levitate.

Altan was fascinated by it. There weren't any flying brooms back home. In Marquet, it was fashionable to have a flying carpet, if it could be afforded. They were both functional for travel and beautiful to look at. Mages went to only the best weavers for the finest quality carpets on which to put their enchantments. Having a carpet you made chosen by a mage was a great honor.

"Great." Scanlan took Pike's hand. "We'll see you on the other side." And the two gnomes disappeared in a puff of glittering purple smoke.

"Flying actually doesn't sound like a bad idea." Keyleth mused. "I think I'll join you." Her body shifted and shrunk as Keyleth went from half-elf to raven.

Altan shook his head, a small smile on his face. "The first time Kadin did that, I was so surprised that I fell backwards into a fountain. I did not hear the end of it from Amira for weeks." The raven made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle.

"Let's get going," Vex'ahlia prompted. "I don't want to leave Scanlan and Pike on their own for too long. Who knows what could happen?" Bird-Keyleth squawked an assent and flew over to perch on Vex'ahlia's broom and they took off. Altan followed after them with light, quick steps. Percy kept pace just behind him. They ran for a few seconds before the ground started to wobble beneath them as Grog came bounding past. Percy almost lost his footing but Altan's hand shot out and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him upright again.

"Steady." Altan let Percy go and continued running - he had already started to sink into the sponge.

Finally everyone made it across. Altan put his hands on his knees, forcing himself to breathe slowly. He wasn't tired out so much from the running as he was from the mild anxiety of bolting across something that was actively trying to close down on him, as well as the jolt of panic when Percy almost fell. But they all made it across safely, which was enough.

They continued on. They could have been going faster but at every junction, Percy stopped to update the map. Not that Altan was going to complain. He was hopelessly lost down here. Amira had gotten all the spatial reasoning in the pair.

The group continued walking until they came upon a large stretch of hall where the floor was gone. Altan walked up to the edge and looked down. About fifty feet below, he could just see sharpened wooden spikes sticking up. "Those do not look welcoming."

Percy moved to stand beside him. "Looks like our kidnapper lost a little of their creativity here. This is one of the most standard traps in history."

"There could be a catch," Grog suggested.

Percy nodded. "That is...probably true. It does fit in with what we've seen so far." He took another careful look into the pit. "I don't see anything unusual, but I also can't see very far down because of the darkness. Vex, Keyleth, can you come look please?"

The two women walked over and glanced down. "All I see is the spikes at the bottom," Keyleth confirmed. "Seems pretty straightforward."

Percy sighed. "That's what worries me."

"I'll go across on my broom first," Vex'ahlia volunteered.

Her husband looked hesitant. "Remember what happened on the Island of Viscan?"

Vex'ahlia frowned. "That was over thirty years ago, darling. I've had a lot of practice flying since then." Percy still looked unconvinced, but didn't say anything more.

Vex'ahlia mounted her broom, which still looked odd to Altan, and began to make her way across the pit. Halfway across, her broom jolted to a halt and she went into a steep dive straight towards the spikes.

"Vex!" Percy yelled, but she didn't seem to hear him. Her eyes were glazed over as she fell.

Keyleth burst into action. She flicked out her hand and a vine glowing with green energy appeared out of the floor and flicked forward. It just managed to wrap around Vex'ahlia's waist, dragging her and the broom back to solid ground.

Percy dropped to her side. "Vex? Vex!" She turned her head towards the sound but she was still disoriented. It took a minute for her eyes to clear and her gaze to focus.

The first thing she saw when she came to was Percy's worried face hovering over her. "Oh, hello darling. What's wrong?"

"What wrong is you almost flew yourself right into those spikes." Percy sat back to let Vex'ahlia pull herself into a sitting position.

Vex'ahlia rubbed her temple. "I was flying normally and then I hit something almost solid, like a gelatinous cube. There were lots of flashing colors and loud clanging noises. I don't remember anything else."

Percy sighed. "We need to figure out what this is. I'm going to see if I can get closer."

"Not without a tether, you aren't." Pike went over to Vex'ahlia who pulled a robe out of her bag that had a robe dangling from inside. "Grog, can you hold this?" She asked, handing him the robe.

"Of course." He took it from her.

Pike gave the other end to Percy. He took it and began tying it around his waist. "If I must, I must."

Vex'ahlia leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Be careful, darling."

Percy smiled softly at her. "I will." He then stepped up onto the wall. Altan watched in awe as he walked sideways above the pit, taking careful steps.

"If Amira could do that, she would be unstoppable," he mused. "I mean, her teacher Kasra taught her how to walk on things people shouldn't be able to walk on, but if they stop moving, they fall like any other person."

"It's his boots," Scanlan explained. "They let him stick to surfaces."

"Ah." Altan went back to watching Percy as he made his slow way across the wall. He got about to where Vex'ahlia fell and stopped short. His eyes glazed over the same way hers had, but he managed to stay still. About a minute later the effect wore off and he took a step back.

"There's definitely some kind of barrier here," he called back to the others.

"Are you okay?" Pike asked.

"Fine. I'm going to see if I can find the end of it." He turned and started walking up the wall, squinting at the air beside him. When he got to the top, he reached his hand out slowly and then jerked it back. "Well, it definitely goes all the way up." He turned around and started walking down into the pit. A little way down, he pulled out a gem that lit up with a brilliant light before he put it in a box, concentrating the light in front of him.

He put his hand out again and this time did not pull back. "I found the bottom!" He was about twenty-five feet out and another twenty down.

"So, what do we do now?" Altan asked.

"I could make us all birds," Scanlan suggested.

Altan's face lit up. "Could you? That would be incredible."

"Wait, though," Vex'ahlia interrupted. "Would we be actual birds or would we just seem like birds?"

"Actual birds," Scanlan assured her.

"I'll just turn myself into a bird," Keyleth commented. "That way at least one of us isn't dependent on Scanlan dropping the polymorph if something happens."

"I'll take my broom," Vex'ahlia added.

"You guys are no fun," Scanlan teased. "What about the rest of you? Birds?"

"Fuck yeah!" Grog answered. Pike nodded in agreement.

Altan grinned. "Absolutely."

Scanlan's hands started moving and his eyes flowed with purple light as he started to chant an incantation. He, Altan, Pike, and Grog were lit up as well and with a pop they all became birds. Different birds, even. Examining himself as best he could, Altan recognized his new form as that of an Amur falcon from home. It was weird and made him strangely homesick.

Keyleth shifted back into a raven and they were off. The swarm of birds and Vex'ahlia was careful to stay below Percy but above the spikes. Once they had all crossed, Percy stepped down a few more paces and crossed over himself. They all made it safely to the other side.

Flying on a carpet was one thing, but free flying as a bird was a completely different experience and Altan was in love. And he wasn't even as much a fan of heights as Amira was.

"It would be amazing if you could do that for my sister sometime," he said when he was back in his original shape. "Although we would be hard-pressed to get her back down again."

Scanlan shrugged. "I wouldn't mind. And gravity would bring her back down when the spell ended."

Altan snorted. "Amira thinks falling is exciting. Ever since she learned how to slow her falling, she has been leaping off of all kinds of things. Plummeting from the sky would just be another adventure."

Altan heard Grog laugh behind them as the group began to move forward again. "I'm liking your sister already."

Altan grinned. "You might want to wait until you meet her to make that decision, my friend." He patted Grog on the arm before stepping forward to walk beside Pike.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scene Titles:  
> Day 2 in the maze begins  
> The Wizard of Oz trap  
> the spongebob trap  
> The confusion trap


	10. 9 - Masquerade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira and Julius finally have their conversation with the Clasp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on time this week!

Amira and Julius had to wait another hour for the others to show up. The trio walked up to see them sitting on a bench and eating honey cakes. Kadin snagged one and flopped down next to Amira.

Amira glanced sideways at him. "So? Did you find anything?"

Kadin sighed. "Yes and no." He finished the last bit of honey cake and continued, "We were able to find some miners and they were able to give some insight into the mountains." Kadin pulled out a roll of parchment and opened it to reveal an intricate map of caves and passageways. "I bought this from one of them. And, according to them, there is probably even more that they do not know about."

Amira felt the first creepings of despair as she looked at the map. "Is there any way you could narrow it down? What about your scry?"

Kadin nodded. "I had thought of that. And there were some caverns that seemed too big or small for the room I saw." He started pointing out caverns. "Of what we know, these are the ones that are most possible."

"But that's," Julius did a quick count, "Still seventeen different places. It would take forever to search that many."

"Then we'll just have to narrow it down more," Elaina said with a confident nod. "Did you guys find out anything from the Clasp?"

"Yes and no," Amira said, grinning at Kadin who just looked exasperated. "We have the location of an entrance, but it will not be open until later this evening."

"There's no front door or something we could just go up to?" Elaina complained half-heartedly.

Amira laughed. "A front door lacks the drama of a secret entrance."

"So what do we do until then?" Tiberius asked.

"Sit here eating honey cakes?" Amira suggested. "They are so good and I have not had any for so long."

Kadin shrugged and took another one. "They are very tasty," he conceded. "Taste just like they do in Ank'harel."

"We got them from that stall over there," Julius said, pointing.

Kadin and Amira ended up buying more honey cakes from the man as well as some sort of juice that they called Sharbat-e Zaferoun. They bought three bottles of the syrup. Amira mixed some of the syrup with water and gave it to Julius and the twins to try. He wasn't sure if he liked it or not, but he couldn't stop drinking it.

The group ended up spending the afternoon shopping. Not knowing what they were going to face, they stocked up on healing potions as much as they could. Then they stopped at a temple to get some holy water to put in Elaina's mace if needed. Amira bought a sunset-colored sash to tie around her waist and matching fabric to make into wraps for her hands to "add a little color" to her daytime look. All of them got distracted by a bookshop. Julius got materials to make new shot for his gun and before they knew it, it was time to visit the Clasp.

"I still think that just Julius and I should go," Amira said. "The less of us there are, the less nervous this Clasp will likely be. If we come in a group, they may suspect an attack."

"I do not like it," Kadin frowned and crossed his arms.

Amira rolled her eyes. "As you have said. But it is still best and you know it."

Kadin's arms fell and his shoulders dropped. "I know. I suppose I will have to worry until then."

Amira gave him a quick hug and kissed her friend's cheek. "We will be back before you know it."

"You better," Elaina said, punching her brother lightly in the shoulder. "If you don't, the Clasp better watch out because I'm coming for them."

Julius laughed and ruffled Elaina's hair, making her face scrunch up. "We'll be fine. Stay with Kadin and do what he says."

Amira, now finished trading out her new sash and wraps for her usual black ones, turned to Julius. "Let us go. We do not want to be late." She pulled a piece of black fabric over the bottom half of her face and her hood over her head, casting shadow over the rest of her face.

Amira stepped into the shadows of the deepening twilight and disappeared from sight completely. Julius waved to the others and did the same. He may not have been as flawless at stealth as Amira was, but his mother had made sure he knew at least a few things about it. The two moved quickly and quietly through town until they reached the butcher's shop they'd been told about in the note. Julius thought it might be a little too fitting but didn't mention it.

There was a little tinkling of a bell as Amira pushed the door open. "We're closed," a gruff male voice called from a back room.

"I will perhaps come back tomorrow for some of your meat, because it does look of fine quality, but that is not what we are here for," Amira replied.

They heard some shifting from the back room and a large, muscled man with a shaved head and well-kept salt-and-pepper beard stepped into the doorway. "What do you want, then?"

Julius was keenly aware of the two daggers and set of throwing knives attached to his belt - not common for butchers - but Amira approached him, seemingly unconcerned. She handed him the note they'd gotten from Xiomara earlier.

The man's eyes flicked across it. "I see." He refolded the note and handed it back. "Wait here. Your names?"

"Jasmine and Andrew," Amira replied before Julius could even open his mouth. The man grunted in affirmation and left the room again.

"Why did you lie?" He asked softly when he was sure the man was gone.

Amira shrugged. "When going into a den of thieves and liars, it is better to be safe than sorry."

"You came up with those names pretty fast," he commented. "Like you had planned them ahead of time." Amira just smiled.

The man came back a few minutes later. "Follow me."

Amira and Julius went with him into the back room and down into a basement. Anxiety kicked in for Julius as his mind went through all the ways they could get kidnapped and/or murdered in this situation. They were led to a hatch in the back of the room, which the man opened for them.

"Just follow this tunnel to the door and tell them Brendon sent you."

Amira's gaze swept across the room, looking for a specific type of rogue. Her eyes landed on a silver-skinned aasimar girl with green eyes and matching hair. She and her friends didn't seem to catch on to the grim mood of the rest of the rogues and were talking loudly and boisterously. They were also somewhat intoxicated.

"This way," she whispered to Julius and she walked over to the table. "Hello," she said, mostly to grab the woman's attention.

"Heya," the aasimar replied. "What's goin' on?"

Amira glanced at Julius, hoping he would understand to let her handle this. "I am Jasmine. This is my friend, Andrew. We are looking for some people we know who went missing."

"The name's Kelley," the woman said, scooting over. "Sit down, have a drink. We'll see what we can do."

Amira squeezed into the vacated spot, leaving Julius to try and find a spot on the other side of the table. They were each passed a drink. Amira took hers and immediately drank it all the way down, slamming it back onto the table.

"There ya go!" Kelley cheered, finishing off her own drink. "Now, what can I do ya for?"

"We are looking for some friends," Amira repeated. "All we know is that they are in a place made of stone with no windows."

"That's quite a few places," Kelley interjected.

"Yes, well. We were hoping someone here might know a few places in town we could look into."

Kelley gazed thoughtfully at the table for a few moments. Julius was worried she had forgotten they were there. "Talk to Old Hal over there," she said, pointing to a man across the room who was nursing a drink and talking to a couple friends. "He knows every tunnel, street, and building in town. Lots of information in that head that he doesn't mind sellin' for a fair price."

"Thank you," Amira said, standing. She put a few gold coins on the table. "Next round is on me." Kelley tipped her head and turned her attention back to her friends.

"There are three types of rogues," Amira explained as they walked across the room. "Those who were forced into this life by circumstance, those who do it because they like terrorizing people, and those who do it for fun, for the adventure of it." She grinned. "Kelley and I fall into that last category."

"How did you know she was.like that?"

Amira shrugged. "Takes one to know one, as they say." They stepped up to the table. "Old Hal?"

One of the men raised a gangly, boney hand. "Tha'd be me. Whadaya need?"

Amira's entire demeanor had changed as they walked. Instead of the lively and fun attitude she had used to interact with Kelley, she was now sturdy and serious. "We are looking for some people. We know they are in a stone room with no windows. Know any we could look into?" Old Hal watched as she pulled out a bag and began to fill it with twenty-five gold coins, one at a time so he could count them.

The man grunted and drained his drink. Amira immediately motioned for another, holding up a gold coin. He took several gulps of the new drink before speaking. "Aye, I know the type of places ya're lookin' for. Do ya have a map?"

Julius rifled through his pockets, handing Amira a map so she could pass it to Old Hal. He also pulled out a pen and ink.

"Here, here, and here," the man said, jabbing his finger into the map. Julius carefully marked each spot. "These're the ones above ground." He continued to point. "These four are below. Mayhaps one of 'em is your spot."

Amira gave him a slight bow and tossed the bag onto the table in front of him. "Your insight is appreciated, sir."

Old Hal waved them away. "Aye, aye. Now, off wi' ya, and leave me to my drink."

"Of course." Amira grabbed the elbow of Julius's coat and led him to the door they'd come in. She handed a few more gold coins to the doorman as they left and only let go once they were back on the street.

As soon as they hit the night air, Amira let out a long breath and looked around them, visibly relieved. She took off the fabric covering her face and let her hood down. "That went much better than I could have expected."

"You were worried?" Julius replied, a little surprised. "You didn't seem like it."

Amira smiled a little. "I was terrified. I always am. Any little thing could start a fight. But that room was full of the type of people that can smell fear. We would not have made it out with the information we did. We might not have made it out at all."

Julius's eyebrows lifted. "Are you sure you shouldn't be an actress? I think your talents are wasted on adventuring. I never would have known."

"As it had to be," Amira replied. "You were not worried because I seemed to be unworried. Neither of us looked nervous, so we got out safely." She started to walk back towards the inn.

Julius stood frozen in place for a moment, blinking rapidly. "That's amazing," he said finally, jogging to catch up. "But if it was so dangerous, why did you take me with you? I could have given it all away just by being scared."

Amira gave him a half-smile. "As backup," she said simply. "I needed someone there in case things went desperately wrong. I trust you, Julius, and I saw yesterday how good you are in a fight. It was the right choice. Kadin is lovely, but he is not a fighter at heart, and he hates when I interact with my more unsavory friends."

Julius didn't know what to say. He was too distracted by not looking at Amira so she wouldn't see the heat rising in his cheeks. They walked the rest of the way in peaceful silence back to the inn, where Kadin greeted them immediately.

"Are you alright? Did both of you make it out safely?" He said as he ran over from the bar.

"We are fine, Kadin, just as I said we would be," Amira laughed. "But I think we are both tired and could use some rest."

"Where are Elaina and Tiberius?" Julius asked, looking around the room, which was empty except for them and two other patrons.

"Already up in their room," Kadin explained as they moved towards the stairs. "They were too tired to remain awake for you."

Amira stifled a yawn. "We will sleep as well. Details about tonight can be shared in the morning." She paused in front of the door to her and Kadin's room. "Goodnight, Julius."

"Goodnight Amira, Kadin," he replied before stepping into the room he shared with the twins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scene Titles:  
> The gang regroups  
> Julius and Amira talk to a "butcher"  
> A wild Kelley appears  
> Old Hal  
> A little night walking  
> back at the inn


	11. 10 - Best Laid Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Altan and Vox Machina enter a room and find something they were definitelly not prepared for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I KNOW this is a really short chapter comparatively, and I KNOW it's coming out really late. But it's still Thursday for 2 1/2 hours here, I actually have an alarm set for next week to help me remember what day it is in this stupid quarantine, and no one really seems to be reading this anyways, so i don't know who I'm apologizing to.
> 
> Now that that's out of the way, here's the chapter.

Altan led the group through a snaking passageway that ended in a door. "Well, that is different."

Vex'ahlia peered over his shoulder. "It seems to be a normal door."

"'Seems to' has gotten me into a lot of trouble in the past," Altan said with a laugh. He inspected the door for traps while Vex'ahlia watched on with a melancholy smile. "I do not think it is trapped, but it does seem to be locked."

"Let me." Vex'ahlia stepped past him, pulling out a set of lockpicks. The lock opened with a soft click almost as soon as the picks went in.

There was a breath where everyone was waiting for a trap to go off, but nothing happened. "I guess we should go in," Scanlan said.

"Altan seems adequate enough at stealthing." Vex'ahlia winked at him. "He and I can go in first, quietly, and maybe see what's in there before it sees us."

Altan nodded, touched that a legend would compliment him this way. The others stepped back as the two half-elves slipped around the door and into the room.

The cavern on the other side was a little more brightly lit than the maze had been, which seemed to be due to holes in the ceiling where light was streaming through. It seemed empty, but neither of them wanted to move forward until they were sure.

Altan stood as still as physically possible for a long minute, squinting at the room like that would force the room to give up its secrets. But he saw nothing. "I will go across and see if I can find an exit," he whispered.

On his first step forward, he felt a change in the floor. It was slight, but it felt like sand instead of stone. He looked down. It looked the same color as the floor he had just stepped off of, but it was definitely sand.

He took another step but before he could get any further, Vex'ahlia grabbed the back of his leather armor and pulled him back to the stone ground with a practiced tug.

"What-" he started to say but Vex'ahlia put a finger over her lips and pointed at the other side of the room. It took him a moment to realize what she had seen.

The wall was moving.

They froze in place, waiting to see what the wall would do. Altan swore he saw something like an eye open and close. It continued to shift and squirm for a few moments and then it settled back into stillness. They backed carefully out of the room and closed the door softly behind them.

"Well?" Percy asked and Altan jumped. He'd been so intent on watching the wall that he had forgotten the others were there.

"I'm not sure," Vex'ahlia answered. "It looks like your usual enormous cavern but there's something weird about the far wall."

"Weird?" Keyleth prompted.

"It started to move as soon as I stepped into the room," Altan explained. "And it stopped moving when Vex'ahlia pulled me back off of the sand."

Vex'ahlia turned to him. "Sand?"

Altan nodded. "It was the same color as the stone, but it was definitely packed sand."

"You're sure?" Percy asked.

"I grew up in a desert. I am intimately familiar with the feeling of sand beneath my feet."

"That might complicate things for our close-up fighters, if it comes to that," Scanlan commented.

Grog shrugged. "I've fought on sand before. It's not that bad."

"Do we have a plan?" Scanlan asked, turning to everyone.

"It's hard to come up with one when we don't know what we're up against," Percy reminded him.

"So the plan is attack?"

Grog perked up like a dog hearing its name. "Attack?"

Pike put a small hand on his thigh. "In a moment, Grog." The goliath visibly deflated but stayed where he was.

"I like this plan," Altan admitted, his fingers curling and uncurling as they hung at his sides. He was getting antsy and his pretties were itching for a fight.

"We should at least cast some spells in preparation," Pike suggested. "No sense in rushing in."

"Oh, yeah, good idea." Keyleth pulled her staff off her back. "How about a Freedom of Movement spell on...Grog. And Altan, if you'd like."

"I am not entirely sure what that is, but anything that keeps me moving is much appreciated." Keyleth nodded and Altan felt a coldness in his chest, like a high mountain wind.

"Alright, now everyone come over here," Pike ordered. "Just something to hopefully keep us on our feet." She began to glow with a pale-yellow light that spread to everyone around her. As it passed over Altan, he could feel the warmth of it on his skin, reminding him of the sun at home, a heat that was just this side of unbearable. Instead of cancelling out the cold from before, it mixed with it, swirling just under his skin.

They turned towards the door. "Should we try to stealth in?" Scanlan asked.

Grog looked offended and Pike looked worried. "I don't think so," Vex'ahlia said. "Altan only took one step before it started moving."

"It probably has tremorsense," Keyleth suggested.

"But not until I stepped on the sand," Altan reminded them. "The stone part was fine."

"So we could still surprise it," Vex'ahlia mused. "I can do a lot of damage with my arrows if it doesn't know I'm coming. And then anyone else with ranged attacks could get a couple hits in. The rest can be ready to run up after that. By that time, it will know we're there, tremorsense or no."

Keyleth raised a hand. "Not to be that person, except I usually am. Has anyone considered that this might not be an enemy and we're planning to kill an innocent creature?"

"Kiki," Scanlan said, giving her a serious look. "We've been captured by a crazy person. You really think they would put something friendly in here?"

Keyleth looked down at her hands. "Maybe."

Percy put a hand on her shoulder. "Scanlan's right. We're going to have to adopt a 'shoot first, ask questions later' policy and assume everything we come across is trying to kill us."

Keyleth's shoulders slumped. "That's comforting," she said, her tone flat. A chuckle went around the group, but it was the dark chuckle of people who were a little too used to facing their own mortality.

Vex'ahlia wrapped an arm around Keyleth's shoulders in a side hug. "Don't worry about it too much, Keyleth. For all we know, we could be doing all this planning to attack a regular wall."

"Well, let's get on with it," Grog urged. "Wasting daylight here or whatever." Altan could tell by the constant flexing and relaxing of Grog's muscles that the barbarian was just as eager for some action as he was.

"Quietly, then," Vex'ahlia ordered. A hush fell over the group as she carefully opened the door.

The room was just as still as it had been when they opened the door last time. Altan pointed out where the sand started and they piled in as best they could without crossing that line. Altan pulled out two daggers from sheaths on his back as Vex'ahlia raised her bow, one arrow nocked and a second held ready between her teeth. Percy pulled something off his back and unfolded it into a weapon, he assumed, that was long, slim, and made entirely out of metal. Altan had never seen anything like it. Pike, Scanlan, and Keyleth's hands glowed with pale-yellow, purple, and green energy respectively.

One! Two! Arrows whizzed from Vex'ahlia's bow, signaling the others to let fly their attacks to the same spot, letting her shots guide their aim. Altan nearly jumped out of his skin as the weapon Percy was holding emitted an explosive sound.

The wall shuddered and the entire room began to quake. Altan had to hold onto the door frame to keep from falling over. The others also had to stumble to stay upright. Pike couldn't manage it and fell to the ground with a clang.

When the shaking stopped, they all looked on in horror and disbelief as what had formerly been a wall moved to stand in the middle of the room as an enormous stone dragon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scene Titles:
> 
> Vox Machina meets an old nemesis
> 
> Vex and Altan find a moving wall
> 
> Vox Machina makes a...plan?
> 
> STORYTIME: The wall was a dragon?


	12. 11 - Shopping and Shipping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira and her friends make headway in their search for Altan and Vox Machina.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another week, another chapter.

Elaina pushed aside empty breakfast plates to make space for the two maps - the mountains and the underground. "So we have seventeen different locations in the mountains and another seven from the Clasp."

Amira put her forehead down on the table. "We need to narrow down the ones in the mountains," she mumbled into the table. "That is too many."

"Stilben isn't a huge town," Julius commented. "Someone here has to know something, or at least suspect. We could ask around."

"Studying the maps might help," Elaina suggested. "Especially if we can drag any more details out of Kadin's vision."

Kadin scratched at his upper lip. "I could try scrying on him again. I have my own magic and Keyleth's scrying eye, so we would have a few tries, at least."

"Alright! Kadin, Tiberius, and I are on map duty."

"I guess that means Amira and I are on information duty?" Julius asked.

"I do not mind," Amira said quickly, her eyes brightening. "I am good at talking to people."

"Yes, I saw your skills last night." Julius smiled at her.

"Good, then you can let me do all the talking," Amira replied with a grin. "You can keep track of the information we get, as I will be too busy being charming to remember details."

"And I get another day off from keeping Amira out of trouble," Kadin commented, laughing as Amira stuck her tongue out at him.

Julius pushed back his chair. "We should get going, then." He stood and held his hand out to Amira to help her stand.

As they left, Elaina called after them, "Make sure you have him back by sundown!" Amira tried and failed to hide a snort.

"Love you too, Lainey." Julius flipped her off and kept walking. They could hear her cackling until the door shut behind them, cutting off the sound.

Julius sighed. "Sorry about that."

Amira took his arm and started walking. "Oh, trust me. I may only have one sibling but I am well aware of how annoying they can be."

They continued to walk towards the town's shopping district. "We can eavesdrop as we pretend to be looking at things to buy," Amira said. "Think you can be discreet?"

Julius smirked. "Please, I'm a noble. Evesdropping is how I stay entertained at parties."

Amira grinned. "Just making sure."

Their first stop was at the general store. "Many different people come through stores like this," Amira said as she pushed open the door. "We are likely to hear something interesting."

About an hour later, Julius and Amira found themselves sitting on a nearby bench, watching people walk across their vision. "Well," Julius said after a while. "That went well."

Amira chuckled and let her head fall back to look at the sky. "That was an unending mess of gossip. If I have to hear about Henry's escape-artist chickens again, I might scream."

Julius nudged her with his elbow. "But hey, if you wanted, you could have found a date while you were there. I saw at least three different people flirting with you."

Amira rolled her eyes but was smiling. "It is the accent only, I assure you."

"Oh, I don't know about that. You're beautiful." Julius's cheeks turned pink as he realized what he said. Amira stared at him. "Let's...let's go to the next place. Where was it again?"

Mercifully, Amira looked away, back to the street. "We should visit the blacksmith and the stoneworkers to see if they have had any suspicious orders as of late. And I would like to talk to the miners that Kadin visited. Maybe some different questions will reveal different things. But first," Amira grinned, "Race you to the food stands!"

Amira stood and took off down the street, her feet dancing lightly across the stones. Julius shook his head and chased after her through the crowd. No matter how fast he thought he was going, she managed to stay just ahead of him. He quickly realized that she was matching her pace to his.

They ran until Amira broke through into the open square where the food vendors were. "I win," she said smugly as Julius slowed to a stop in front of her, breathing heavily. "That means you get to buy our snack."

Julius looked at her in disbelief. She didn't look like she'd been going any faster than a brisk walk. "I'm sure something about this isn't fair," he huffed, "But please, go ahead."

Amira picked a place that sold sticks of meat roasted over a fire, deciding she was in the mood for some rabbit. As they ate, they made their way towards the blacksmith. Julius walked over to browse a rack of swords while Amira was checking the balance of some throwing stars. Both were listening intently to the conversations around them.

"...tried to charge me two gold for a loaf of bread."

"...sure we should be getting a sword for our four-year old?"

"She'll grow into it."

"...found a dead body in the old well."

"...mean it won't be ready for three weeks?"

"I'll begin work as soon as the materials come in next week. We had a large custom order recently and needed to resupply."

Amira glanced over, intrigued. A muscular woman with dark skin and a shaved head, wearing a leather apron, was talking to a middle-aged gnome holding a portable writing desk. The woman was calm as the gnome seemed to be getting increasingly frustrated.

"The party is in a month! There is too much to be done after the piece is installed to do it in only a week." The gnome tried to slick back his wild brown hair to no effect.

The woman crossed her arms. "I'll see what I can do, but three weeks is still my best estimate. It's a complicated piece."

"Then I'll take my business elsewhere!" The gnome squeaked.

The woman shrugged. "You could, but the work won't be as good," she replied confidently.

The gnome's entire face turned red and he stormed out of the open-air smithy. The woman watched him go, shaking her head. Amira could swear there was fondness in her look.

The woman noticed Amira watching and smiled. "Sorry you had to see that. Kelrug can be a bit much sometimes, but he pays well and always comes back." She stuck out her hand and Amira shook it. "Name's Ndidi. Can I help you with something?"

"Amira." She looked briefly at the throwing stars she'd been looking at but then took a deep breath and said, "Actually, I was curious about that large order that seems to have left you so inconvenienced."

Ndidi huffed, but her smile was still there. "A woman came in about a month back with a bunch of designs, asking if I could make them. Didn't make much sense to me, but I'm just a blacksmith, not an artist or architect."

"Do you remember anything else about this woman?" Amira pressed. "Please, anything you can tell me."

Ndidi looked at her suspiciously. At this point, Julius decided to come over and stand just behind Amira's left shoulder. Ndidi looked him over as well. "Why do you want to know?"

Amira looked down at the ground, shuffling her feet. "We are...she...she may have something to do with my brother's disappearance. We wish only to speak with her, I swear."

Ndidi's face softened as she pulled Amira into a hug. "Okay. Let's see...I think her name was Ana or Anya. She...her hair was blonde. Blue eyes. Tall and lithe. I didn't see her ears but I'd still peg her for an elf. She had sharp features and that...way of carrying herself that elves seem to have."

Amira nodded. "Thank you, so much. Just...do you remember where you delivered the pieces?

Ndidi nodded. "It was at a house just north of town. Take the road out of town for about a mile, and there should be another one going northwest. Follow that until you hit a house. Can't miss it."

Amira hugged her. "Thank you! If there is anything we can do to repay you..."

Ndidi smiled. "Just worry about finding your brother. And come back to see me when you do. I'd like to see the brother that inspires such devotion in a sister like you."

Amira hugged her one more time and then she and Julius left. Julius looked at Amira out of the corner of his eye as they walked along. She had straightened her posture once they left, and her face was neutral. If he didn't see the traces of sadness still in her eyes, he would have believed her 'sad, lost kitten' look she'd adopted was entirely an act.

"Are you okay?" Julius asked when they were a fair distance away, putting a hand on her shoulder to stop her walking.

"I am fine," Amira said in a tone that made it clear she wouldn't say any more on the subject. "It is almost lunch. Let us see if Kadin and your twins have found out anything."

They made their way towards the food vendors again. Amira spotted Kadin and the twins first. "Kadin!" She shouted, leaping at her friend. Kadin didn't even turn around. He just shifted so that, instead of landing on her human friend, Amira landed on the back of a giant wolf, twice the size of Lymus.

As Amira nuzzled into Kadin's soft fur, Elaina turned to Julius. "So, did you guys find out anything?"

"Just one thing," Julius admitted. "We found out that a blacksmith in town, Ndidi, had to do a crazy large order for some woman. Used up most of her materials. She said the delivery was to a house outside of town, following the road north for a mile and then turning northwest."

"Wait," Tiberius said. He pulled out the map of Stilben and started tracing roads with his finger. "North about a mile, then northwest," he muttered. His finger came to rest on a circle drawn onto the map, right at the base of the mountains. "I thought so."

Amira looked down at it from her position on Kadin's back, eyes wide. "That is one of the places the Clasp told us about."

Kadin dropped his form, dumping Amira unceremoniously on the ground. "Wait, so we know where they are? Why are we not on our way there now?"

"We 'might' know where they are," Julius corrected. "It's definitely the best lead we have. But look how far it is down that road to the mountains. It's going to take us too long to get there for us to go today."

Amira stood, brushing dirt off her pants. "I am unsure about the rest of you, but I believe this is a conversation that could be held over a nice plate of food."

"Yes, please," Tiberius said. Lymus whined in agreement.

After asking the opinion of a few locals, Amira decided that they would go to a place called The Starlight Paradox for lunch. They almost walked right past it. It was a small, shabby building squeezed between two larger, nicer-looking buildings. The name of the place was handwritten on a piece of parchment and nailed to the door.

Amira looked at the sign, shrugged, and walked in. The others shared a skeptical glance before following.

The inside looked much different from the outside. It was clean and well-kept. There were a good number of patrons but it wasn't crowded. The kitchen was in the same room as the tables and the sound and smell of cooking food surrounded them. A man and a woman stood at the back, cooking food and handing it off to two younger men who were serving it.

"Hello!" One of the young men called as he saw the group walk in. "My name is Cayo. Just find a table and I or my brother Rafael will be with you shortly."

Elaina spotted an open table off to the left side and they sat down. "Do we even know what kind of food they serve here?" She asked.

"Not a clue," Amira replied cheerfully. "The mystery is part of the fun!"

Kadin craned his neck, trying to see what the people around them were eating. "I do not know how 'mystery food' is so appealing to you."

Julius grimaced. "When you put it that way, it does sound like we're going to be getting some kind of grey gloop."

Amira leaned back in her seat, putting her feet up on a small amount of space on Kadin's chair. "You are both being ridiculous. Nobody else here is eating grey gloop, are they? No? Then we will be fine. Besides, this place would not have been so highly recommended or busy if they served grey gloop."

"It could be a trick they play on outsiders," Tiberius pointed out.

"We will be fine," Amira repeated resolutely. She shifted slightly so she was leaning on Julius instead of the hard back of the chair.

A moment later, the other young man, Rafael, appeared at their table carrying five silver tankards. "Here are your drinks," he said as he set one in front of each of them before nodding and walking away.

"Thank...you?" Elaina said hesitantly as they watched him go.

Kadin stared intently at his tankard. "These vessels, they are magical in some way," he commented.

Elaina scrunched up her nose, peering into her tankard. "It just looks like water."

"Well it tastes like strawberry honey wine," Amira commented. Kadin gave her a questioning look. "What? If it had been poisoned, my body would have resisted it. And besides, why would a place like this try to poison people?"

"I do not know," Kadin threw back. "Why would a place like this put enchantment magic on their cups?"

"I thought you said this was honey and strawberry?" Elaina interjected. "Mine tastes like apples and cinnamon."

"May I?" Amira held her hand out and Elaina handed over the tankard. Amira took a sip. "Still tastes like strawberries to me."

Julius looked down at his cup, amazed. "That's probably what the enchantment is. It changes flavor based on who is drinking it."

They spent the next several minutes enjoying their drinks, which never seemed to run dry. After a bit, Elaina commented, "No one's come by to ask what we want to eat."

Julius shrugged. "Maybe they only serve one thing?"

"Well, we can talk while we wait," Amira began, closing her eyes. Julius's arm was comfortable and the stress of looking for her brother was exhausting. "Did you guys find out anything?"

Kadin shifted Amira's feet so that they were in her lap and not on her chair. "I tried scrying again but I could not make contact. Altan's mind resisted me. I can try again tomorrow, when I have my energy back."

"We did narrow down the mountain locations, though," Elaina added. "We studied the pathways connecting the caverns and eliminated any that could not be accessed due to things like cave-ins. We've got about eleven locations now."

"Well, that's at least better than seventeen." Julius turned to Tiberius. "Can I see that map again?" His brother nodded and handed it over. Julius smoothed it out on the table. "There! Those four."

Amira opened her eyes and looked down at the map where Julius was pointing. "Why those four,  _ aziz-am _ ?"

"Because," he said, adding a dramatic pause, "Those are the ones that can be reached from that house." The others stared at him.

Finally, Kadin said, "Then we will try those first, after we look at the house."

About ten minutes later, Cayo and Rafael came up, carrying six plates between them that were all loaded with a variety of different foods. They placed five of them on the table and the last one, piled high with raw meat, was placed on the floor in front of Lymus.

Elaina turned to Cayo. "Excuse me, but we didn't order. How did you know what we wanted?"

Cayo smiled down at her. "Elodia and Nilo always know what people need," he said, and they both disappeared into the crowd.

Amira began eating immediately. The food wasn't what she was used to, but it was heavily spiced in a way that warmed her chest, soothing her. The others seemed equally satisfied. No one spoke until all the plates were clean.

"This is the only place I'm eating ever again," Elaina commented with a satisfied sigh.

"That would be lovely," Amira agreed, equally dreamy.

Julius felt so full and relaxed, and the room was warm without being sweltering. He didn't want to leave, but they all had things that needed to be done and sadly, lunch was over. He placed a small stack of gold on the table, what he hoped was enough. No one had given them a price. Then he pushed himself out of his chair with a groan. "Alright, let's go," he said. "If we're leaving tomorrow, we need to make some preparations."

There was grumbling around the table but everyone slowly shuffled into movement, splitting up to make sure they were ready for their journey, finally feeling hopeful about their search.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Farsi translations:
> 
> Aziz-am - my friend
> 
> Scene Titles:
> 
> Julius is tormented by his sister
> 
> Julius and Amira go to a general store
> 
> Amira and Julius drop some eaves
> 
> The gang finds the restaurant from Bones


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Altan and Vox Machina fight a wall dragon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy. Lots of drama last week. Sorry there was no chapter but emotions suck. Enjoy some fighting.

Altan couldn't believe it. He hadn't known what to expect, attacking a wall, but the wall turning into a dragon? That had not been high on that list.

The dragon roared and the cavern shook again. Parts of the ceiling broke off and covered the floor, making it look a lot more difficult to cross.

Altan shook his head and started to pick his way across the cavern. Grog had already bounded ahead and was hacking at the dragon. Altan dove and rolled under a claw that was slashing at him. It caught his back as he passed, leaving behind three long cuts but it gave him the chance to get a couple good strikes at the beast's underbelly, which was still tough but not covered in rock like the rest of it was. As he popped back up to his feet, he saw a glint of purple out of the corner of his eye. A gem was sitting wedged between two stone scales.

An explosive sound rang out from behind him where he knew Percy was standing. Chunks of rock flew from a point to Altan's left.

"Guys, watch out!" Keyleth called. Altan jumped immediately back. Grog didn't seem to hear or care and didn't move away. Once Altan had stumbled about twenty feet back, Keyleth held out her glowing hands and slammed them together. Green waves of energy hit the creature. The dragon cried out, a sound like rocks grinding against each other that made Altan want to cover his ears. More pieces of rock fell to the floor.

Altan ran forward to attack again but was stopped when the dragon's tail swung around and caught him across the stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs and leaving him gasping on his knees. " _ Kos naneh _ !" He wheezed, trying to stand back up. Some of his ribs were most certainly broken, but he couldn't worry about that now.

A lilting voice hit his ears and he felt magic move through him, crackling under his skin. It felt like healing, but was very different from when Tofi or Kadin did it. Kadin's healing felt like a soft touch or a warm breeze off the desert, and with Tofi he felt like someone was hammering him back together. This felt...this felt like the energy in the air immediately after a lightning strike. "... **and ignite your bones. And I will try to fix you** ." It wasn't a song he had heard before, but Scanlan had a pleasant voice and he felt himself being pulled back together a little bit.

If nothing else, it numbed the pain.

The dragon shifted and turned, moving to face the entire group. Altan took a couple slashes at it as it moved away, knocking off a couple rock chips but not doing a lot of serious damage. The dragon reared its head back and spewed out a cone of small rocks. Altan rolled out of the way, managing to avoid most of the damage but still getting pelted by the bruising stones. He glanced back and saw that some of his new friends hadn't fared as well.

Altan's face was lit up for a moment as a streak of yellow light burned past him, striking the dragon in the neck. A bright light illuminated the spot. Altan squinted at it, and that was when he saw it. Right below the brightest place was a weak spot, a missing scale. Altan started to run for it, but knew the spot was too high for him to reach, and already the light was beginning to fade.

"Below the light!" He cried out. "There is a scale missing!"

"Got it!" He heard Percy yell back. There was another explosive sound and the dragon screeched and swung its head back as something impacted right on the weak point. It was starting to look a little rough, but didn't seem to have lost any of its fighting spirit.

Altan continued to hurdle towards the dragon, using its leg as a springboard to reach its back. As he landed, he thrust both of his daggers into a space between the scales, using the fact that Grog was distracting it to make sure he made his mark.

The dragon turned away from Grog and whipped its head at Altan before he could jump back out of the way. Powerful jaws clamped down around him, sharp teeth piercing his chest and arms as his head was plunged into the darkness of the dragon's mouth. He felt himself being ripped off the dragon's back and suddenly he was free and flying straight towards the cavern wall. He hit it with a crunch and fell to the ground, stunned, the edges of his vision darkening.

"Oh no you don't," he faintly heard Pike say. He was fighting to stay conscious. Small footsteps registered at the edge of his senses and then the darkness in his vision was being pushed back by a pale yellow glow. He glanced down to see Pike with her hands on his torso, staring intently at the wounds as they closed.

Pike removed her hands and Altan rolled to his hands and knees. He pushed himself into a standing position using the wall for support, wincing. He wasn't bleeding all over the floor now, thanks to Pike, but he still hurt all over. It didn't matter. The battle was still raging behind them and they needed to get back to it. Altan picked up his daggers and ran back into the melee, his face impassive.

Pike watched him go, a worried look on her face, before grabbing her holy symbol and closing her eyes. "Serenrae?" She called out softly. "Do you think, maybe, you can protect Altan? This fight is too strong for him." She felt a familiar heat settle into her bones and she smiled.

Meanwhile, across the room, Altan was dodging around the dragon, digging in his daggers whenever he could and trying to stay clear of tail and claw and teeth. A soft, feminine voice whispered in the back of his head. It reminded him of sitting in front of a lit fireplace. "My Pike wishes for me to protect you, so I give you this gift." Altan felt a warmth across his skin and he looked to see his tan skin glittering with sun yellow and sky blue light.

"Thank you," he whispered, not sure who he was thanking or what exactly they had done. Whatever it was, he hoped it would keep him alive.

An arrow whizzed past his head, surprising him into movement and reminding him where he was and that a fight was still going on. He wasn't doing much good down here - the scales were too thick. He needed to try and get up closer to its head, where the scales looked to be thinner, more brittle, and further apart. Never one to learn a lesson, he again jumped up onto the dragon's back and started to run along it towards the neck.

As he ran, he heard Scanlan across the room sing, "Bigby's hand!" A large purple hand materialized in the air above the dragon's head. It came slamming down, pinning the dragon's head and neck to the ground. "Hit him while you can!" He shouted. "I don't know how long this will hold."

Altan and Grog didn't need to be told twice. Altan began to stab at any less-protected areas he could see while Grog slashed at the thinner stone on the dragon's underside. There was no blood, but the stone was starting to crack and some scales were falling off. Altan could see the shine of more gems now, all different kinds. Some remained stuck in the dragon's skin while others fell to the ground.

With a loud grunt, the dragon freed itself from the purple hand. The dragon roared in anger, flinging its head around. More stones fell from the ceiling and more sharp pebbles spewed from its mouth. Altan jumped back to avoid the pebbles and was struck in the head by a falling rock. He dropped to his knees, head spinning.

"Trinket, help Altan!" Vex'ahlia called. A few seconds later, a large, furry face was thrust into his own, nudging him gently with a questioning grunt.

Altan gave Trinket a quick scratch under his chin. "I will be alright until the fight is done." He stood with help from Trinket and boy and bear dashed into the fight. The shards of stone on the ground were bruising his feet through his boots, but he refused to slow down.

Altan knew from watching Ursula and Biscuit that teaching an animal to fight smoothly alongside people was a problem and a half, so he was impressed with how well Trinket was trained. It was almost like the bear was an extension of himself, distracting the dragon to create openings for Altan's daggers. Trinket obviously had experience fighting beside a rogue.

A bolt of deep green energy struck the dragon and web-like vines of green and black began to spread out from the hit. It began to thrash around wildly. One of its back claws scraped across Altan's front. He tensed, expecting a lot of pain. But the hit didn't hurt as bad as he thought it would, and the lights seemed to have done some damage to the dragon, as well.

The voice's gift.

Emboldened by this discovery of resistance, Altan jumped back into the fray with a fervor. The faster this fight was over, the better. He didn't know how long this gift would last and he needed to make the most of it.

" **Altan is the shadow of the night** ," Scanlan sang out. " **So baby take d12 and be alright** ." Altan's fingertips danced with purple light, mixing with the yellow and blue. Couple more colors and he'd be a rainbow.

Scanlan's songs still made no sense to him.

Whatever worked.

The purple hand, which was still floating around the dragon's head, balled up into a fist and rammed into the side of the dragon's jaw. Several more cracks appeared at the impact.

Altan continued to dance around at the dragon's rear. His foot hit a loose bit of rock and he slipped right as he began to strike. His daggers changed direction, aiming to hit the dragon's scales at too shallow an angle and slide right off. But just before they hit, the purple energy around his hands flared and dissipated. His hands were forced to change direction with a jerk and corrected the angle so that both daggers were driven deep into the dragon's hide. The dragon snapped at him, but he managed to leap back to the ground just in time.

"Hey!" Keyleth shouted. "Pick on someone your own size!"

Altan turned to give Keyleth a skeptical look, knowing that she wasn't anywhere near the size of the gargantuan creature before them, but the look was quickly forgotten. " _ Goh _ ," he breathed as mere seconds went by, wherein Keyleth transformed from lithe half-elf to enormous white dragon.

"Yeah! Go Keyleth!" Vex'ahlia cheered. Altan whistled in agreement. Even he, with the limited knowledge of magic he had learned from Kadin, knew that this was a powerful work of magic.

Everyone except Grog stepped back as dragon-Keyleth became locked in combat with the stone dragon. Vex'ahlia, Percy, Pike, and Scanlan continued to harass the stone dragon with distance attacks. Altan decided they had everything under control and found a wall to slide down with a hiss of pain.

Everything hurt.

He watched the fighting through glazed-over eyes, trying to stay conscious. He wanted to be out there, fighting with the others, but if he stood up now, he would fall right back down. His legs wouldn't support him.

Watching Vox Machina fight was amazing. He could almost see why someone would kidnap all of them just to see it. Every individual action worked to support the whole group and they never seemed to get in each other's way. They'd been fighting together for a very long time, and it showed. He, Amira, and Kadin were a bit like that with each other, but they were still trying to find that balance with the rest of the team. Altan wasn't worried; it would come.

Altan brought his focus back to the battle. He was trying to pay attention but it was getting increasingly difficult. He just wanted to sleep, but he also wanted to be aware of what was going on around him so he could jump into action if needed.

Altan was jolted awake by the sound of breaking stone. He looked up just in time to see dragon-Keyleth with her jaws wrapped around the stone dragon's neck, clamping down harder and harder until the neck shattered, showering Grog with bits of rock and dust.

"Well done, Keyleth," Percy called as he strode over to inspect the creature. Vex'ahlia was already there, collecting as many of the gems as she could find. Normal-sized Keyleth soon joined them. "So what do you suppose this thing is?" Percy asked.

Keyleth ran her fingers along the side of its jaw. "I'm not sure? Best guess is that it's some kind of cross between a dragon and an earth elemental."

"That sounds...terrifying," Vex'ahlia commented as she slid down the side of the dragon to join them. Keyleth just gestured towards the corpse. "Alright, I see your point."

Pike started to move with everyone else towards the corpse but then saw Altan sitting off by himself. She ran over, hands already glowing. "Altan! Are you okay?"

"I am fine," Altan said with a yawn. "Simply tired."

Pike looked at him incredulously. "You're bleeding," she said, her voice flat and her arms crossed.

Altan looked down at his body. He wasn't shimmering anymore, he noticed. Then he noticed the claw and bite marks everywhere. He put a hand to his stomach and it came away covered in blood. "Ah, that is probably why I am feeling so tired."

Pike cupped his head in her hands and a wave of warmth washed over him. He hadn't realized he was so cold. Pike's healing seemed to soothe his soul as well as heal his body. Wounds closed and stopped bleeding, although some would probably still scar. The pain numbed and the heat, like a desert afternoon, was making him even more drowsy. He blinked slowly a few times, his eyes closed longer than they were open.

"We should probably get out of here before something else comes," Percy suggested. "Altan, can you stand?"

Altan yawned again and nodded. " _ Chashm _ ." But when he tried to stand, he couldn't find his balance. His head swam as the floor moved under him like he was standing on the ocean and not solid ground.

Pike put her hand up to steady him, frowning. "I think he might have a concussion. We should keep a careful eye on him. Grog?"

"Yeah, Pike?"

"Do you mind carrying Altan? I don't think he'll be able to walk on his own for a little while."

"Sure thing." Grog scooped Altan up bridal-style. "Now where am I going with him?"

Percy gestured to the end of the cavern opposite where they'd come in, where the dragon had been resting. Behind the cut-out where the dragon slept was an opening leading to another passageway.

The group trudged off, not really wanting to move but too nervous to stay. Altan stayed curled up in Grog's arms, his head resting on the goliath's shoulder. "You know, if I were single," Altan mumbled, "I would rub oil all over your muscles."

Grog looked down at the battered half-elf in surprise and let out a hearty chuckle. "Rest now, little thief."

Altan nodded, snuggling deeper into Grog's hold as he drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Farsi translations: 
> 
> Kos naneh - motherfucker
> 
> Goh - Shit
> 
> Chashm - Eye (common way of saying "yes")
> 
> Scene Titles:
> 
> Altan fights a stone dragon
> 
> Altan watches other people fight a stone dragon
> 
> Altan is a damsel in distress


	14. 13 - A Traveler's Gamble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira, Julius, and the others find out some interesting information and Amira and Julius have a moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look! I'm on time for once. Don't get too used to it. I'm reliably unreliable.
> 
> Note: I'll add the translations later. I'm visiting my parents right now and all my notes for that are at home. I'll make an edit note here when those are up.

The group split up for the afternoon to get ready for their trip the next day. Elaina, despite protests from Amira, went with Tiberius to secure horses for them to ride. Kadin needed to restock some of his alchemy supplies. That left Amira and Julius to get their rations for the journey. Knowing how Amira was with food, Kadin almost insisted on going with them, but he was almost out of everything and would just have to trust that Julius would keep her from buying more than was necessary.

They got a...somewhat reasonable amount of food to take with them. Without knowing exactly how long they would be gone, it was hard to be exact, so they got enough for a week. Elaina would be getting an extra horse to put it all on.

Amira and Julius wandered around the market when they were done. There were still a couple hours before they had to be back for dinner. Somewhere along the way, Amira picked up a bag of blueberries that she munched on while they walked.

"I have not seen that place before," Amira commented, pointing with one lightly-stained finger at a building down the street. "I believe there was a brewery there last time."

Julius looked over at the sand-colored building with decorations in vibrant patterns and colors. "It looks...exotic."

Amira shrugged. "It may be out of place here, but most buildings in Marquet have a similar look." She grinned. "Let us have a look."

A sign over the building read 'Saffron and Honey.' Amira opened the door and was instantly transported back to Ank’harel. The surrounding air smelled of saffron, rose, and jasmine. A wave of homesickness hit her.

Julius watched her expression fade from elated to a little sad. "Amira?"

Amira shook her head and her face was bright again. "Nothing," she assured him. It was almost convincing. "This must be the shop that the kebab vendor owns." She pushed her way further into the shop and Julius followed.

The inside of the shop was beautiful, inviting her in with warm colors in familiar patterns. The walls were lined with shelves stocked full of Marquesian goods - spices, foods, fabrics, incenses, teas, trinkets, and decorations.

As Amira inspected a box of kolompeh, a man looking to be about middle-age stepped out from a back room. He had a similar tan skin and dark hair to Amira. "Ah, _dorood! Kahsteh nabâshid_. And how are we today, Amira?"

" _Salâmat bâshid_ , Hashem. I am well," she answered. Continuing in Marquesian, she said, " _We are leaving town tomorrow, but I wanted to see your shop before we left. It is beautiful. I could stay in here all day just for the smell alone_."

Hashem looked around his shop with a smile. " _It is a nice piece of home, although I often miss the real thing._ " He gave Amira a knowing look that she returned with a sad smile. They were both a long way from home. " _So_ ," he rubbed his hands together. " _Where are you headed?_ "

" _Up north, towards the mountains_ ," Amira replied. " _We are looking for a house there_."

" _I believe I know which house you seek_ ," Hashem said, scratching his beard. " _The woman who lives there is strange, and very particular._ "

" _You know her?_ "

" _Anya Kost. She orders things from time to time. Mostly incense and some spices. When we deliver to her, my eldest daughter Reyhan has to go around the back of the house and put it in front of a specific bush_."

" _Which bush?_ " Amira pressed. Instinct was telling her this information was important.

" _The tallest one, third from the left._ " Hashem looked at her, curious. " _Why do you wish to see her?_ "

Amira looked at him for a long moment. " _Remember how I told you about my missing twin? This woman may have information on where to find him._ "

" _Moaffagh bashid_." Hashem took both of her hands in his. "I will miss seeing your face, but I hope you find him."

Amira squeeze his hands gently. "Thank you. I promise I will come back once this is all done so you can meet him."

"I would like that." He gave her a quick hug.

Amira and Julius bought some of the kolompeh as well as some spices before heading back to join the others at the inn.

" _Khodâ hâfez_ ," he said as she walked away.

Amira's smile didn't reach her eyes as she replied, " _Khodâ negahadâr_ ," and followed Julius out the door, shutting it softly behind her.

As they walked, Julius asked, "What was this bush you two were talking about?" Amira turned to him in surprise. He grinned. "My Uncle Scanlan spent a lot of time in Ank'harel. My Marquesian isn't very good, though, so I could only understand about half of what you were saying."

"Well, if you ever wish to improve, let me know," Amira offered, smiling. "But to answer your question, the bush might have some special meaning to the woman and could be worth checking out when we get to the house."

The others were already waiting for them at a table when they arrived. "What took you so long?" Kadin asked. "The supplies you bought arrived half an hour ago."

Amira reached into her bag. "We were visiting Hashem in his shop. He had an interesting bit of information to share. Also this!" She held up a package in triumph.

"Kolompeh!" Kadin snatched the pastry out of her hand.

Amira laughed. "It seemed like appropriate food for a journey, so I bought plenty." She pulled out more and handed them to everyone else at the table.

"She also ate two of them on the way over here," Julius commented. Amira flipped her middle finger at him and started in on her third.

Elaina took a bite. "This is so good! What's in it? I can tell it's some kind of fruit, but..."

"Dates," Kadin answered. "Dates and walnuts and cardamom. And it looks like sesame powder on top."

Amira glanced at Julius. "What do you think?" She asked. Julius, who had already devoured half of his, just stared at her. "You like it," she laughed.

Elaina leaned forward in her chair. "So, when do we leave tomorrow?"

"Soon as the sun rises," Julius answered.

Kadin sighed. "I will make sure to have enough tea ready."

The group split up and went back to their separate rooms. Julius was about to go to sleep when he heard a knock at his door. "Come in."

Amira stepped in, already dressed for bed in a loose shirt and pants. "I have something for you," she said. She held out a leather necklace with a wooden bird charm.

Julius took it to inspect. It was an elegantly intricate carving of a type of bird he'd never seen before. "It's beautiful."

"It is a Huma bird, or a bird of fortune," she explained, clasping her hands behind her back. "Made of iron wood. It symbolizes good fortune and happiness. I saw it in Hashem's shop and thought you might like it. And I wanted to thank you."

Julius looked up at her, surprised. "Why do you need to thank me?"

Amira ran a hand through her hair. "For helping me find my brother. I know you are looking for your own family," she added quickly, "but still, I am grateful you are here. I do not think Kadin and I would have gotten so far on our own."

Julius pulled the cord over his head, letting the charm rest around his neck. "Thank you, then. Now I wish I'd gotten you something."

"There is time yet," she teased, turning to leave. "Rest well, _nâzanin-am_. I will see you in the morning."

Amira had been skeptical about horses before, but now she knew. She hated them. She and Kadin had grown up riding camels, but had never ridden a horse before. "At least trained camels will lie down so you can get on easier," Amira grumbled as she swung into the seat, a little clumsily but successful. This was mostly due to her monk training. Kadin had to be helped up by Julius, using his leg as a stepping stool to get to the stirrup.

Actually riding the horse was even worse. Where a camel's gait was long and steady, the horse's walk felt short and choppy. And without a hump for her to cross her legs around, her thighs felt stretched and awkward. They were guaranteed to be sore after this. She eventually got the rhythm right but still didn't like it. At least the horse didn't spit at her.

Kadin fell back to ride alongside her. "Are you alright?"

Amira snorted. "I am fine, _dâdash_. Simply enjoying the view from atop this hideous beast and contemplating how I am going to punish Altan for making me ride it."

Kadin laughed. "They are not so bad." Amira grunted, unconvinced. "Come, let us distract you with a song, Amira- _joon_."

Kadin often used this technique to divert her attention, but since he also had the sweetest voice Amira had ever heard, he was forgiven. Amira pulled out her tanbur and started to pluck out a melody. Kadin listened to a few bars before joining in.

"Asseh, asseh

Rizeh, rizeh

Bi to ghalbam mireh vasseh

Del doroogh nist

Sasteh rasteh

To ro dideh, to ro khasteh" 

Kadin smiled as the last notes of the song faded. "You do not usually pick such sentimental songs," he teased.

Amira shrugged as she put the instrument away. "It was the first one that came to mind."

'That was amazing," Julius said, turning in his saddle to look at them. "Something from Marquet?"

Kadin nodded. "A love song. One of my favorites. Although usually I have to bribe Amira into playing it for me."

They stopped around noon to have lunch and rest the horses. Amira flopped onto a patch of grass under a tree. "If I ever decide to ride a horse again, it is not me and you should kill the imposter," she groaned. "I cannot feel my ass."

'The butt-numbing is half the fun," Julius teased. "But in all seriousness, you get used to it."

Amira pouted. "I am sure."

"I'm with you," Elaina sighed. "If it weren't for the fact that we're trying to move quickly, I'd say we could just walk."

"I like horses," Tiberius commented.

Elaina glared at him. 'That's because horses like you." Tiberius shrugged.

All too soon, they had to get up and get moving if they wanted to make the house by nightfall. Amira mounted her horse reluctantly. She had already become a much faster runner though her monk training, and her endurance was also getting better. After this trip, she decided not to stop until she could keep up with horses on foot. Then she'd never have to ride one again.

For the second half of the trip, Amira rode at the front of the group, Elaina and Tiberius behind her, leaving Julius and Kadin in the back.

"Kadin?" Julius asked after they'd been riding for a while. "What kind of...things...does Amira like?"

Kadin looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"Well." He fiddled with his reigns for a moment. "She got me this gift and I wanted to give he something back." He showed Kadin the necklace.

Kadin glanced at the necklace and then Amira and smiled. "She likes things that are both beautiful and dangerous. They excite her."

"Thank you. And.I know this probably goes without saying, but don't tell her, alright?"

"I will keep your secret," Kadin promised.

In the late afternoon, they could see the house and by sunset they were there. It was an impressively large place, more a manor than a house, although it was plainly decorated. Almost like the house was trying to not draw too much attention to itself, nestled in the foothills.

After a small amount of discussion, they set the horses loose and let them run back to town. The road up into the mountains would be too hard for them, anyway. After, they found a hidden place nearby to rest and wait until nightfall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Farsi Translations:
> 
> dorood! Kahsteh nabâshid - Hello! Don't be tired. (super polite greeting)
> 
> Salâmat bâshid - May you be healthy. (super polite reply)
> 
> Moaffagh bashid - I wish you success
> 
> Khodâ hâfez - Goodbye.
> 
> Khodâ negahadâr - May God protect you. (goodbye response)
> 
> Nâzanin-am - my sweetest (gentle and sweet)
> 
> Dâdash - brother
> 
> Joon-am - my life
> 
> Scene Titles:
> 
> Julius and Amira find a fun shop while looking for a real one
> 
> Saffron and Honey
> 
> The gang eats kolompeh
> 
> Julius gets a present
> 
> Amira hates horses and Kadin sings a song
> 
> The gang has a brief lunch
> 
> Julius asks Kadin for advice with girls


	15. 14 - The Kill Box

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Altan and Vox Machina find themselves in a room that seems determined to injure them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New week, new chapter! I'm also going to go back and fill in the Farsi translations that I didn't have last time.

At Pike's instruction, Altan was woken up several times during his rest to have his head checked. There was definitely a bump, and the first couple times he felt a bit dizzy, but overall his concussion didn't seem too bad.

When he woke up the next morning, he thought he was back home, and his trip to Tal'dorei with Amira and Kadin had just been a long, elaborate dream. The colors and patterns on the hanging silks and pillows were so familiar. But this wasn't a place he had been before. He got up, carefully, and found the door.

Outside, the room was decorated much like the inside. "Altan!" Scanlan called from below. "Welcome to my magnificent mansion. The others are in the kitchen, over here." He disappeared into a room off to the side.

Altan hurried down the grand staircase and followed Scanlan into the kitchen. A long table was set up and piled with a bunch of different fruits and pots of oatmeal. Altan sat down next to a disgruntled-looking Grog and filled a bowl with oatmeal and fruit.

"...and even if Keyleth could planeshift us out of here - which I'm not sure would work - we'd have no way of finding out who did this to us," Percy was saying at the other end of the table. There was a look on his face that Altan couldn't quite decipher.

"Percy." Vex'ahlia said, a hint of concern in her voice.

Percy sighed and his face relaxed. "I know. But they deserve to be held accountable for their actions. If we leave them to their own devices, who knows what they'll do?" In a voice so quiet Altan could barely hear him, he said, "I don't want a repeat of Ripley."

Vex'ahlia put her hand on his cheek, turning his face to look at hers. "It won’t be." Percy leaned into her touch. Feeling like he was intruding on an intimate moment, Altan went back to his breakfast.

"How are you feeling?" Pike asked through a mouthful of blueberries.

"Like I was run over by a camel," Altan admitted. "Maybe even a whole caravan. But I will be fine, thank you." He took a couple more bites of oatmeal before asking, "So where exactly are we?"

"Scanlan has a mansion he can summon," Pike explained. "Only the people he allows can come in, or even see the entrance if he remembers to close the door." Scanlan's head jerked up suddenly but then he shrugged and went back to eating.

Altan whistled softly. "That is incredible. He can do this all the time?"

"Twice a day, although it takes a minute and uses a lot of energy. But it lasts for a whole day if we need it to."

Altan hummed thoughtfully. "I wonder if anyone I know could learn it in the future. It seems very useful."

Pike shrugged. "I don't know. I can't do it, at least. But it has saved our butt in the past."

"Perhaps Desdemona can. I will have to ask if we get out of here."

"When," Pike corrected, her voice serious.

Altan smiled softly. "When. Of course."

They finished eating and Altan stepped out, seeing the room on the other side for the first time. It was lined with beds and there was a fireplace in the middle.

"The beds were less comfy than mine and the mansion is safer," Scanlan said, stepping out after him. "I'm just glad I could actually summon it here."

"We were also considering planeshifting out of here," Vex'ahlia added.

Altan nodded. "I heard a bit about that earlier. I am not sure what it means."

"Scanlan's mansion is in a pocket dimension," Keyleth explained. "So if I use planeshift while we're in there, I could get us back to somewhere on the Material Plane, like Whitestone."

Altan nodded along, although half of what she was saying didn't make much sense to him. But he did get the main gist of it - they had a way home, if they needed it.

He felt a hand on his arm. It was Vex'ahlia. "We could take you back, track down this person later. This isn't your fight."

"No," Altan answered without hesitation. "They made it my fight when they kidnapped me. Besides," he added with a wry smile, "I do not think I could live with myself if I left this behind. My thoughts would be haunted by it. No, I will see this to the end." He missed his sister, and Kadin, and their friends. But he knew deep in his liver that this was the right path, no matter the consequences.

Vex'ahlia smiled. "Then let's get going." They made their way towards a door on the other side of the room. Vex'ahlia checked it for traps and, finding nothing, pushed it open.

As soon as they were all through, the door closed behind them and disappeared into the wall. They searched but couldn't find any seams or dents or any other indication that a door was ever there.

"Well, looks like we'll have to find another way out," Scanlan commented.

The room on the other side was...confusing, to say the least. It was circular, and the walls were lined with twenty doors, each identical except for the numbers on them. They also seemed to have no handles or other ways of opening them. In the center of the room was a marble pedestal with a strange, glowing object floating above it, also made of marble.

"It's a dodecahedron," Percy observed, moving to get a closer look. "Twenty sides."

"Twenty sides for twenty doors," Keyleth added thoughtfully.

Grog came up beside them. "It's so shiny." He reached out his hand and touched it before anyone could stop him. The object spun in front of them, fast and faster until it stopped abruptly on the number fourteen. "Uh..." Grog took a couple steps back.

Across the room, the door with fourteen written on it opened. Lightning streaked out. The ones closest to the door were Vex'ahlia and Altan, who had been checking the other doors. The bolt hit Vex'ahlia in the chest, knocking her to the floor before jumping to strike Altan in the back, throwing him into the wall.

Vex'ahlia sat up, rubbing her chest. "What just happened?"

Percy dashed over to his wife to help her up. "The numbers on the object seem to correlate to the doors."

Pike frowned. "I don't think I like this game very much."

Altan snorted. "I do not think we are supposed to."

Percy looked around. "The exit has to be behind one of these doors."

"Well, only one way to find out." Scanlan hopped up and slapped the dodecahedron. It spun again, this time landing on the number six. They turned to that door, frozen in anticipation.

A smoky grey shape streamed out and began to fill up the area. Altan took a step back. Percy, Scanlan, and Vex'ahlia looked just as confused as he was. The others, however, looked terrified. The shadow swooped towards them, aiming for Pike, Grog, and Keyleth. All three flinched like they'd been hit as the shadow passed through them.

Keyleth and Pike shook their heads, eyes focusing like they were coming out of a dream. Grog was dashing at the cloud.

"What is he trying to hit?" Percy asked.

"That shadow was a giant bear-like dragon creature a second ago," Pike explained. She ran up after him, putting her hand on his arm. "Grog, stop."

There was a flash of light and the shadow vanished. Grog rounded on Pike, raising his axe, but before he brought it down, he realized who was in front of him. He lowered the axe slowly, the fire fading from his eyes. "Pike?"

Pike smiled. "It's okay, buddy. Just an illusion." Grog relaxed and put his weapon away.

"Well, that is two doors down," Altan commented. He held his hand up to the dodecahedron. "May I?"

Percy gestured for him to go on. "By all means."

Altan touched the orb. It was smooth, perfectly cut, and colder to the touch than he anticipated. It shivered under his fingertips and began to turn.

"Round and round and round she goes." Scanlan muttered.

It rolled to a stop on the number twelve. A cloud of sickly yellow-green fog poured into the room. As soon as the fog hit his skin, he knew what it was. He had accidentally nicked himself enough times while learning to put poison on his daggers to recognize its effects on his body. He was hunched over for a minute before the pain faded.

"That was fun," Scanlan coughed.

"Oh yes," Altan replied. "I love being poisoned. I do it all the time."

When the next door - nineteen - opened, they were hit with a wave of hot air and then nothing.

"That was anti-climactic," Percy commented.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the room started to shake. Flaming balls of molten rock rained down on them. Altan managed to dodge one of them only to throw himself into the path of another. It hit his shoulder with a crack, dislocating it. He cried out in pain.

The meteors stopped falling as suddenly as they had started. Pike treated his shoulder, shoving it back into place with surprising strength and adding a little healing to take the edge off.

"I see that I spoke too soon," Percy said with a little laugh.

Keyleth touched the orb next, opening door eighteen. A ray of white light shot out towards the orb, reflecting off of it and colliding with Keyleth's forehead. She stumbled back and her eyes glazed over.

Percy put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Keyleth?" He asked softly.

Her head turned toward him, no recognition on her face. Pike started to step carefully forward, but Keyleth shook her head and her eyes went back to normal. Her gaze on Percy went from confused to angry. "That fucking orb tried to feeblemind me!"

"In that case, I'm glad it hit you," Scanlan said. "If it had hit me, my mind would have been goo for sure."

The next two doors were much more easily dealt with. One let out a cloud of gas that made Altan choke and his eyes sting, but it dissipated quickly. The other was a burst of colored light that left spots dancing in his eyes and Grog was temporarily blinded but no one was seriously injured.

They all gathered back around the orb and Altan walked up to it. "Well, here goes nothing." He put his hand on the orb and when it finally clicked into place, he was faced with the number twenty.

The orb disappeared in a burst of light and the pedestal sank into the stone as a door opened in the background. The group was hit with a burst of cool air, but nothing else came through. They looked at each other and then took off running.

On the other side of the door was a long hallway. Altan had never thought he would be so glad to see a hallway but he was relieved to be out of the room of doors and away from the strange dodecahedron.

The hallway ended in a door. Altan and Vex'ahlia checked it thoroughly for traps and found nothing - it wasn't even locked. They shuffled the line so Grog could go in first.

Grog peeked his head in and immediately pulled it back out, quickly closing the door. He turned to the rest of the group. "You guys will not believe what's in there," he whispered intently.

"What?" Scanlan asked. "What is it?"

Grog threw the door open in response. Everyone else flinched against what he had seen.but nothing was there. Like that morning, there was a room with beds and a fireplace.

"Grog!" Pike scolded, punching his thigh.

"Ow, ow!" Grog hopped away, but he was laughing.

"Is it time to sleep already?" Keyleth asked as they all filed in.

"I do not know about all of you but I could use the rest," Altan said with a chuckle.

"Should I pop out the mansion?" Scanlan asked.

Vex'ahlia sighed. "Yes, please."

When they got in, none of them really wanted to sleep right away. They gathered in the entryway, where there were hanging sheets of gossamer silk and small mountains of floor pillows. Altan sank into one, enjoying the familiar sensation. It even smelled like home. The only difference was the inside of the mansion was cool, very unlike the desert he was from, and there was no warm breeze to move the silks.

The others also found places to be, either together or on their own. Grog pushed together three sets of pillows and flopped down onto them with a puff of air. Altan sat with his legs crossed and his eyes closed, trying to find his center like Kadin had taught them. He was never as good as Amira was. After about ten minutes or so, he always got the urge to get up and move around. To be fair, though, she spent a lot of time sitting on mountains with her eyes closed as part of her training. He smiled a little at the thought.

"Whatchya thinking about?" He opened his eyes to see Keyleth sitting down next to him.

"My sister," he admitted. "She hates stopping whatever she is doing to meditate, but once she starts, she can sit for hours without moving at all."

Keyleth pulled her knees up to her chest. "She sounds amazing."

Altan nodded, closing his eyes again and taking a deep breath. "She is my best friend. Before this, I do not believe we were ever apart, even for a night. It is.unsettling. It does not help that I am so used to sharing my bed with Kadin, so there is strangeness in sleeping alone."

Keyleth played with a bit of fringe from a pillow, twisting it between her fingers. "I know how weird it is to suddenly have to sleep alone. When Vax...left, I don't think I slept properly for a week. As for the rest...I never had any siblings growing up, but Vox Machina kind of became my family, my brothers and sisters. It was hard, the first time we broke apart to do our own things, but we always came back together again."

"I hope that stays true," Altan replied. "Even though our parents lived in the same house, we rarely saw them. Kadin and Amira were all I had."

He heard Keyleth shifting into a different position. "And now?"

Altan laughed softly. "My friends in Viatorem are very fun to be around." He paused for a moment. "Yes, I suppose I would call them family. An eclectic family, but a family nonetheless."

Keyleth chuckled. "That sums up Vox Machina really well, too. A big bag of misfits that found a home in each other." There was a waver in her voice that enticed him to glance at her through his eyelashes. She looked like she was trying not to cry. She stood up. "I'll let you get back to your meditation."

"Thank you." Altan resettled himself and let his steady breathing brush away any curious thoughts about what had made her so sad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scene Titles:
> 
> Altan in wonderland
> 
> Altan takes a stand
> 
> Twenty-sided Roulette
> 
> An Altan-Keyleth heart to heart


	16. 15 - Desperate Measures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira and her friends find the house they are looking for and it turns out to be more than they bargained for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> new critical role tonight! im so excited I could scream. anyway, here's a chapter

Amira stifled a yawn. For the past few hours, they'd been taking it in shifts to watch the house. So far they'd seen no movement and the windows remained dark as the afternoon sun sank below the mountains. She was keeping a lookout by herself at the moment while the others tried to get in one last bit of sleep.

She heard soft footsteps from behind her and a moment later Tiberius and Lymus sat down next to her. For a moment, they simply sat in each other's company, watching the sun set. Then, keeping her eyes to the house, she said, "It is unusual to see you away from your sister."

Tiberius grunted. For a moment, Amira was sure that was the only response she was going to get. Then he turned to face her and said, in his soft and steady voice, "We've always been that way. I guess it runs in the family. I don't know what I'd do without her."

Amira understood immediately what he was hinting at, but didn't reply or even look back. Tiberius was unbothered by this; he'd said what he wanted to say. "Thank you," she said finally. "I have not really allowed myself to miss him. The feeling was always there, of course, but other things are more important right now. I will miss him when I find him."

"That doesn't make any sense."

Amira chuckled. "I know." She picked up an object that had been left beside her.

"A loom?" Tiberius asked.

Amira held it up. "It is. My teacher wanted me to learn. It was an exercise in patience when I was younger, but now I use it to calm my body and give my hands something to do when I am restless or worried." She looked out, taking in the gathering twilight. "We should perhaps wake the others. It is about time to go."

They waited a little longer, until the sky faded to complete darkness, before approaching the house. It was just as unassuming up close as it had been from a distance. Amira went ahead of everyone else, vanishing into one shadow and appearing out of another right by the manor. She took a moment to look in one of the windows before motioning the others forward and slipping around to the back. The bush was exactly where Hashem said it would be. Amira peeked around it and found herself facing a door. She checked it over quickly and found it was locked.

The others joined her a moment later, leaving Lymus behind to guard their supplies. Amira was surprised by how quietly Julius and the twins moved. Even Elaina in her heavy armor barely made a sound.

"If only Tofi and Hildr were as quiet as you," Amira whispered to her.

Elaina grinned and lifted a foot to show off one of a pair of beautifully crafted elven boots. "A gift from Aunt Pike. She has a similar pair that she's always found really handy." She put her foot back down. "So, how does the house look?"

"Empty, so far as I can tell," Amira answered. She pulled out her little folded pouch of lockpicks. "Shall I?" Julius gave a go-ahead gesture and she got to work. It didn't seem to be a complicated lock, but once she had unlocked it, it opened to reveal another door behind it with another lock, this one looking to be much more complicated.

Muttering under her breath, she moved to work on this lock was well, but Tiberius stopped her with a hand on her arm. He pointed up. Amira saw immediately what he was looking at. In fact, she probably would have seen it on her own if she hadn't let her frustration control her. There was a strand of translucent thread running from the lock to the top of the door. It was so thin that even just touching the lock might have broken it. She nodded to Tiberius and he released her arm.

It was a very clever trap. Try to unlock the door without the proper key and it would release some kind of gas or spray. She didn't know which or what kind and didn't really want to find out. And, frustratingly, she couldn't find a way to disarm it without activating it. The string looked like a strong breeze might break it, so anything she did definitely would. She couldn’t see where the other end of the string was attached. Maybe it was inside...She looked at the windows to either side of her. Anyone who protected a door this well would probably give the windows similar treatment.

"I need to get a look at the other side of the door," she whispered.

Julius turned to her. "Wha-" But she was already gone, fading into the shadows and appearing on the other side of the window to wave at them. Kadin rolled his eyes.

Amira took a moment to let her eyes adjust to the inside of the house. There was still moonlight coming in from outside but it was dimmer. Once she could see clearly again, she groaned. The trap was just as dishearteningly impossible from this side. There had to be some other way...she motioned for her friends to wait and then disappeared deeper into the house.

"She's not going to try and do this on her own, is she?" Elaina asked. Kadin just shrugged and sat with his back to the wall. He pulled on a set of leather goggles and watched the road.

Inside the house, Amira had found a table in the hall and was rifling through some odds and ends, looking for something to open the door. She wasn't having any luck. Whoever this person was, they were thorough. And were they protecting something...or hiding something? The back of her neck itched with the need to satisfy her curiosity but she ignored it. Mysteries could be investigated after everyone was inside.

Finally, she found something that could be what she needed, if she was careful - more of the string used in the trap. This was going to be tricky, but if she could pull it off...she ran back to the window and, catching Julius's eye, motioned for them to move away from the door. Never hurt to be cautious.

Amira carefully studied the way the string was attached to the trap itself before tying a new string to the same spot in what she hoped was the exact same way. By the end of that, she was shaking enough that she had to take a few calming breaths before tying the other end of her string to a nearby candle holder that was attached to the wall, double and triple checking that the tension on her string was the same as on the original.For this delicate work, everything had to be perfect.

Well, as they say, now or never. She grabbed a knife from her belt and sliced through the string connecting to the door. She flinched, expecting something to have gone horribly wrong. But then she took one breath, two, and still nothing happened. Gingerly, she looked up at the door. The sting she had cut was hanging loosely but the trap stayed still.

She yanked the door open with a grin, startling Julius on the other side. She motioned them in. "Do not touch that string," she warned, pointing.

Amira signaled Julius and the twins to a door leading deeper into the first floor. Then she grabbed Kadin's hand and pulled him towards a nearby staircase. They climbed up until they were standing at the end of a long hallway. There were a few doors to either side. Amira peeked into the first room. It looked like a guest room, since it was clean and didn't have the usual lived-in signs of a room in use. The next room also had a guest bed. The third door led to a library and the fourth was locked.

"Well, this is promising," Amira whispered as she pulled out her lockpicks. She wiggled the picks around for a second and then dropped them with a hiss.

"What is wrong?" Kadin asked, grabbing his friend's hands.

"Just a shock," Amira replied, snatching her hands away, but not before Kadin noticed the blistering redness at the tips of her fingers. "I assume there is a spell on the door to discourage potential thieves." She grinned. "There is definitely something in there worth finding."

"But how will we get in?" Kadin asked as Amira retrieved her tools, checking them over for any lasting damage.

She pocketed them. "Let us see if there is a window in that room." Amira walked back to the previous room on that side, one of the bedrooms which definitely had a window. She carefully pushed it open and looked out. They were on the second floor, about fifteen feet off the ground. That was fine. She looked across the side of the house. There was an indent that could very well be another window.

She turned back to Kadin, still half-hanging out the window. "I think I see a way in. Keep watch for me?" Kadin nodded and Amira jumped out of the room to run along the wall, only stopping when she could grab onto the ledge.

The indent was indeed a window and, though the window was locked, there was no magic involved so she could just pick the lock. People were so confident that no one could get to their second story windows. Such a tragic mistake on their part.

When she was finally able to clamber into the room, she discovered it was a study. There was a desk in front of her and bookshelves to either side. She started with the desk, which was piled high with untidy stacks of paper. Amira began to look through them, careful to put everything back exactly where she found it - she knew organized chaos when she saw it.

In the papers she found some unusual things: an intricate layout for a maze, a list of spells (only some of which she knew of), and designs for a room that could change seasons if you fiddled with a pedestal in the middle. It all seemed very exciting but wasn't what she was looking for.

She opened a drawer and found the drawings that Ndidi the blacksmith had told her about. They were undeniably very strange. None of them resembled a full object, just pieces. They all looked...unfinished. She laid them out in a line so she could get a clearer look and something clicked in her mind. She rearranged them fervently until a picture was created. She gasped.

It was an enormous metal beholder.

A rhythmic knocking came from the wall beside her. She recognized that pattern. A warning - someone's coming. Amira quickly gathered the papers back up and closed the drawer. She could hear the doorknob jiggling as someone worked to open the lock. Swift as a quickling she slipped back out the window and just managed to shut it again when the door opened and a woman walked it.

The woman was beautiful, an elf, with a pale, willowy frame and blonde hair with blue eyes. Amira stayed holding onto the ledge, just her eyes peering over as the woman sat down at the desk, opening the drawer Amira had just been in. She waited for a few moments to make sure the woman didn't notice anything wrong. She didn't seem to. Satisfied, Amira lowered herself down a little and let go of the ledge. She slid to the ground, using the wall of the manor to slow her fall. She rolled when she hit the ground and popped to her feet to see Kadin looking down at her. Amira motioned for her friend to go and the face disappeared.

Amira took off running towards the road. Part of her was screaming to go back and make sure her friends were alright. The more rational part of her argued that they were all capable people who could handle themselves and the best thing she could do to help was not to do anything risky. So she hardened her heart and ran full-speed until she reached the place they had camped at during the day.

It was a painful ten minutes before she saw figures coming towards her. She dropped the loom she had been holding but not using and ran towards them. Out of the darkness stepped Kadin and Elaina supporting a limping Tiberius. Lymus ran over to him and licked his face, giving him a look that clearly said, See? This is what happens when I'm not around.

"What happened?" Amira called, running over to help.

"Something stupid," Tiberius mumbled. He shook off the help from the girls and made it the rest of the way to camp using Lymus as a crutch. "I almost ran into that wire you left behind, and when I twisted to avoid it, I sprained my ankle." He sat down by a tree and leaned his back against it, Lymus curling up next to him. Elaina kneeled beside him to look at his ankle.

As her worry for Tiberius faded, another worry took its place, a hydra's head coming back twice as bad. "Where is Julius?"

Kadin and Elaina looked at each other. "We met up with Kadin and were headed towards the door when he said he saw something," Elaina answered. "He pushed the rest of us out and ran after it."

"I am sure he will return soon," Kadin said, picking up Amira's discarded loom and sitting by Lymus opposite Tiberius. He began picking grass out of the weave out of habit. Amira wsas forever leaving her loom in strange places with lots of little things to get trapped in the thread. "We must simply wait."

Amira flopped down on the grass next to him. "I hate waiting.

"I know,  _ eshgh-am _ ," Kadin replied gently. He passed his friend's loom back to her.

Amira took it and fiddled with the shuttle. Weaving often calmed her but she couldn't find it in herself to start. Ten minutes later, she had done three rows of filling and Julius still had not come back. Amira threw her loom to the side in frustration, hopping to her feet.

" _ Ahmag kooni madar ghahbeh haroom zadde gayidan _ ," Amira muttered angrily, beginning to pace in a circle around the camp. She ran her hands through the front of her hair, pulling strands from her braid to fall in her face. Elaina and Tiberius stirred from where they had started dozing against each other. "I am going to find him."

"Amira..." Kadin warned, grabbing his friend's wrist.

Amira was about to object when they heard a rustling nearby. A shadowy figure appeared at the edge of her vision. She tore her arm out of Kadin's grip and dashed at the figure, leaping the last five feet, propelled by all the nervous energy building inside her - a fight would do her good. Amira and the figure toppled to the ground, Amira pressing her arm firmly into their neck.

Underneath her, Julius raised his arms in surrender. "Hello to you, too. Do you greet all your friends this warmly?"

Amira jumped off of him and he stood up after her. Amira flashed through several emotions that she might be feeling before settling in her comfort zone - anger. Her fist flashed out, hitting Julius in the chest and knocking him over again.

He sat up, rubbing the spot she'd hit. "Yeah, I deserved that."

"You deserve much more for this stunt you pulled," Amira whisper-shouted. Her expression faded from anger to relief. She dropped down to her knees beside him and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck before he could do more than flinch. He returned the hug almost immediately. He hadn't let himself think about it while he'd been in the manor still, but while he was running to the meeting point, he couldn't help but think about how he had seen the twins and Kadin escape but didn't know what had happened to Amira, if she had made it out.

"You are an idiot," Amira told his shoulder. "You are an idiot and you should be ashamed of yourself." Julius laughed weakly.

"Now could you tell us what was so important you had to risk getting caught?" Elaina asked, coming to stand above him with her arms crossed. "I don't want to regret that I didn't drag you out of there with us."

Julius pulled himself away from Amira and reached into his pocket for a folded piece of tracing paper. He handed it to Amira.

"It is a...map?" She questioned.

Julius nodded. "Tibs, can you grab that other map?" Tiberius nodded and Julius took both maps. He lined up the tracing paper over the other map. They matched perfectly.

"The entrances we needed," Elaina breathed. She pointed to the map. "Three of them."

Amira looked over her shoulder. "This is helpful," she agreed. "It also means this Ana or Anya or whoever really is the one who kidnapped everyone. We are on the right track." She looked at Julius. "You are almost forgiven,  _ aziz-am _ ."

"But which entrance should we use?" Julius asked.

"The closest one," Amira said with finality. "There. We might as well find one quickly, and it seems to be a back entrance that will be far less watched over." She started to roll up the maps. "Let us begin."

Kadin swiped the maps from her. "And where do you think you are going?" Amira stared at her blankly. It was obvious. Kadin sighed. "It is the middle of the night, Amira- _ joon _ . We need to rest."

"We can rest once we have found Altan."

Kadin gave her a look that very clearly meant that they were doing no such thing. But Amira didn't want to rest, couldn’t rest. She wanted to find her brother. It had been a week already and each passing day made her more restless. And they were so close now. She knew Kadin was just as worried and was only being reasonable but she didn't want reason or logic. She wanted action. She wanted something to hit.

"Amira?" Kadin's voice cut through her rising anger. She rounded on him. "If you cannot sleep, at least meditate or weave so you are not so exhausted come the morning,” he suggested in a soft breath.

Amira checked herself and took a deep breath. “You are right, of course.” She found a comfortable place to settle herself for meditation while the others found places to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Farsi Translations:  
> Eshgh-am - my love (both romantic and platonic)  
> Ahmag kooni madar ghahbeh haroom zadde gayidan - Idiot asshole son of a bitch bastar fuck  
> Aziz-am - my friend  
> Joon-am - my life
> 
> Scene Titles:
> 
> Amira and Tiberius talk
> 
> Manor invasion part 1
> 
> A Careful De-trapping
> 
> Amira and Kadin find trouble
> 
> Manor Invasion part 2
> 
> Where's Julius?
> 
> The Prodigal Friend returns


	17. 16 - The Elephant in the Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Altan and Vox Machina find themselves in a beautiful forest filled with secrets.

Altan woke up feeling like he hadn't actually rested at all. The little time he did sleep was spent in nightmares. In most of them, he was watching his friends die. Desdemona falling from a cliff and lying broken on the ground. Tofi pushed into a pit of lava. Amira standing in front of him, eyes dead, a scimitar shoved through her chest from behind. Kadin bleeding out in his arms, telling him it would be alright even though he knew it wouldn't because Altan was holding the knife that killed him. He must have looked like a mess but fortunately no one said anything.

He untangled himself from the pillows reluctantly. The others were already up and about. "Everybody just about ready to go?" Percy asked, straightening his long coat.

"Are we really ever ready for anything?" Scanlan asked. "Even when we spend hours planning, we end up winging it six seconds in."

"True," Percy laughed. "Either way, we can't stay here forever."

"Could we?" Altan joked. "I do not know what awaits us, but I am sure it will be painful."

Grog patted him roughly on the shoulder. "Cheer up, man," he said. "You're under the protection of Vox Machina now."

Altan chuckled. "A comforting thought, to be sure." Still, he took a moment to check that all nine of his daggers were securely in place, a ritual that had always made him feel safer, regardless of the danger of the situation.

_ Amin  _ and  _ Aqil  _ in his boots.  _ Arezu  _ and  _ Azar  _ on his arms.  _ Ziba  _ and  _ Firuz  _ strapped to the left side of his belt.  _ Mahtab  _ and  _ Royâ  _ crossed at his back. And his crown jewel,  _ Firdaus _ , a beautiful dagger hidden in a hair comb made of silver and covered with leafy vines, tiny and dripping with poison. The last had been a gift from Kadin a year after they had become lovers. Amira was constantly trying to steal it.

The way forward was another stone tunnel, this one the widest they had come across. It had to be at least forty feet across and the ceiling was even further. After a bit of walking, the floor underneath them shifted to something much softer and less solid. It wasn't sand this time, though.

The floor had faded from stone into grass, and soon after the walls were replaced with a grove of trees. Altan stopped walking so he could take in the sight. They had wandered into a small forest with leafy green trees, blooming flowers, and sunlight - real sunlight! - streaming down from small holes in the rock above them.

It looked like spring.

Vex'ahlia looked at the sun holes and sighed. "If I knew more about where we were, I could at least tell what time it is." She squinted, like doing so would give her some clue.

"We at least know that it's daylight," Keyleth commented. "That's...something, I guess."

Altan, sensing no immediate danger, began to explore the room while the other talked. It was enormous. Standing in a clearing in what he assumed was the middle - he couldn't see any walls - he saw a magnificent water fountain sparkling in front of it. There was also a...a sundial? It definitely looked like one in shape, but no sunlight was hitting it and instead of numbers it had four pictures.

"Find anything interesting?" A voice asked from behind him as Percy came to see what he was looking at.

"I am unsure," Altan admitted, gesturing to the pedestal. "At first, I believed it to be a sundial but it does not seem to serve as such in function."

Percy laughed. "Vex will be sad to hear that. Apparently, she wants to know what time it is." He leaned in closer. "Pictures of this room, it would seem. In different seasons."

Altan took a closer look at the images. The part of the sundial at the top was a scene of leafy trees with a sun carved above them in full bloom. To the left of that was the same set of trees except most of the leaves had fallen to the ground, the flowers had begun to wilt, and the sun was only half-visible and on the left side. The tile at the bottom showed the trees completely bare, the flowers on the ground replaced by snow and the sun was gone from the sky. The last one brought the bushy leaves back and showed budding flowers and the sun peering out from the right. This was the scene the gnomon was pointing to.

"It's beautiful," Keyleth said, coming over to see what they were looking at so intently. "Someone put a lot of work into this."

"Grog, no," Altan heard Pike say. He turned to see Grog with his axe up like he was going to cut down one of the trees.

"Just one tree," Grog countered.

"No. Put it down."

"Please, Pike."

"No." Pike was giving Grog a glare that rivaled Altan's own mother's face when one of the twins was caught doing something inappropriate. Altan instinctively wanted to make a sign to protect from evil because of it. Grog lowered his axe, looking appropriately chastised. Altan smiled. He and Amira both have had similar conversations with Kadin, the closest thing they had to a voice of reason.

Percy was still inspecting the sundial so Altan decided to wander further into the forest. He found a small path and began to follow it. He reached into his pocket for a bit of ginger candy he had stuffed there that morning, but came up with only dust. "Magic," he muttered, annoyed. It had been good candy.

The path ended in a series of doors set in an arc. The two doors to either side were normal looking except that the two on the left and one on the right were covered in thorny vines with little flower buds all along them. The last smaller door was free of this obstruction.

The door in the center was a completely different beast. It was twice the size of the others and made out of a deep-brown wood that was covered in a glaze or resin to make it shiny. It also had no handle or keyhole, only a carved-out impression of a ring. Try as he might, he couldn't find a way to open it.

After a few minutes, he gave up and went to look at the other doors. The ones with vines over them were securely closed and he didn't care to get scratched up trying to open them.

The final door looked more promising. Humming a little upbeat tune, a favorite of Kadin's, he pulled out his lockpicks and got to work, glad for something to do. " _ Khayeh _ !" He shouted as the picks in his hands rapidly became too hot to hold. Muttering, he picked them up.

"Are you okay?" Pike asked, running over.

Altan looked down at his fingers, which were a little red but didn't seem to be blistering. "I think I am alright, thank you."

Vex'ahlia joined them. "What happened?"

"I tried to unlock the door but I see now that the door bites back," Altan answered with a laugh, putting his tools back in his belt pouch. They were mostly undamaged and still useable. "Amira would be calling me  _ ahmag _ , an idiot."

Vex'ahlia studied the door carefully. "There must be a way to open it..." She mused.

"Probably something to do with that sundial thing," Percy said, walking out of the trees and wiping off his hands with a handkerchief. "It seems to be somewhat mechanical, although not entirely. Magic has to be involved for it to work the way it does, since the plants are truly alive."

"If it's mechanical, what's it doing?"

"I'm not sure, but I think the dial can be moved."

"Then try that," Altan suggested. "I can stay here to see if anything changes."

"I'll stay with him," Pike offered. "That way I can talk to you over the earrings."

A few minutes after the others left, Altan and Pike heard a whistling noise and the forest in front of them moved forward in time. Flowers that were just in the beginning stages of budding were now in full bloom. The leaves were greener and thicker. Even the temperature changed, becoming warmer and more insistent, like a hot sun beating down.

Summer.

Behind them, they heard a grating and scraping noise. Altan turned to watch in awe as the vines shifted and moved and the buds bloomed into hundreds of tiny pink flowers. The vines crawled up the previously cleared door and disappeared from the door furthest from the right. Altan went up to it. Locked. He tried his picks again, more cautiously this time, and pulled them out as soon as they got warm.

"Still not right," he muttered. Louder, he said, "Pike, could you have them turn the sundial again?"

Pike nodded and put her fingers to the single red and gold stud she wore. She spoke briefly to the others and the grinding started again. The door immediately to his left opened up as the flowers shriveled and fell from the vines. The trees in the grove were now in the beautiful fiery reds, oranges, and yellows of a fall not experienced in the desert. Half the leaves were on the trees and the rest covered the ground. Altan stepped on a few and was rewarded with a satisfying crunch. Pike laughed behind him and in the distance they could hear much heavier footsteps also playing in the leaves.

The newly revealed door was also locked. Altan didn't want to pull out his lockpicks only to get burned again, but he did. What was the phrase? Third time's a charm? It did not seem he would be so lucky. He could feel the picks heating up before he even got all the way in the lock. He looked at Pike, who shrugged.

"Might as well see what winter does," she said. She spoke quickly into the earring. The leaves in the forest completely disappeared, replaced by snow covering the ground and the empty branches and falling from the ceiling.

Magic.

The cool fall air was replaced with the biting cold of winter, a thing Altan had only experienced since coming to Tal'dorei and still was not used to. He began shivering immediately.

All the vines were now encased in a layer of ice that bonded them to the doors. Only the closer door on the left remained free. Altan walked over to it. This had to work or he was all out of ideas. He pulled out his lockpicks but found there was no lock to pick. There was only a handle. It didn't seem trapped...he grabbed the handle and turned.

The door swung open. Pike let the others know and they came running. "All this fuss over a door?" Grog asked.

"An open door," Percy corrected, peering in. "Something we have, so far in this dungeon, had to work very hard for." He gave one last look at the room beyond. "Well, it seems safe enough," he decided and walked in. The others followed, but Altan hung back. He could feel from here that the room ahead was even colder than the one he was in. As she passed, Vex'ahlia took pity on the quivering boy and pulled a thick fur cloak out of a bag at her side and draped it over his shoulders. Altan pulled it tight around his body and followed her in.

Once they were all inside, the door snapped shut behind them. There wasn't even an indication that a door had ever been there.

"Guess we have to go forward now," Scanlan commented.

The room they were in was freezing cold but looked incredible. Everything was lit by a pale blue glow coming from a series of wall sconces. Ice glittered everywhere, reflecting the blue light and the tiny bits of sunlight peeking through the ceiling. A stone path, somehow devoid of any ice, led to a raised platform with a large teardrop-shaped piece of carved ice sitting on it, reflecting rainbow lights all around the room.

Vex'ahlia approached it, awed. "This is magnificent! It's so clear, it looks like a diamond."

"My greedy darling," Percy teased. She smirked and winked at him. He grinned back and then returned his attention to the crystal. "It looks like it has something in it."

Vex'ahlia squinted at where he was pointing. "It looks like a key."

"To open one of the other doors?" Altan suggested, coming to see what they'd found, now properly wrapped in his borrowed cloak. He felt like a beast in all this heavy fur, but at least he was a warm beast.

"Perhaps," Percy said slowly, walking a circle around the pedestal.

"Maybe it has something to do with that door thing?" Scanlan pointed to the other side of the room. Like the path to the pedestal, that part of the wall was free from ice. There was also about a foot of space between it and the ceiling.

"I could toss you in there so you could find out," Grog suggested with a grin.

"Whatever we do, let us figure it out quickly, yes?" Altan said. The hood of the cloak was now flopped over most of his face in an attempt to keep in more heat. "I am a child of the desert and I would not like to become an icicle."

"You wouldn't become an icicle," Percy said, matter-of-fact. "You'd die of hypothermia first." Both Altan and Vex'ahlia gave him a look that said he wasn't helping. Percy smiled.

"I can try to get this ice to melt," Keyleth said. As she did, both her hands lit up with fire, the flames licking at her fingertips.

Altan stared with his mouth open. " _ Shak dar averdam _ ! That is amazing, Keyleth."

"Isn't she the coolest?" Scanlan agreed.

Keyleth put her hands on the ice and it started to melt, water dripping onto the floor and freezing instantly. After a couple minutes the top of the pedestal started lifting. Vex'ahlia lifted her hand. "Wait, do you hear that?" Keyleth pulled her hands away from the ice. Altan strained his ears. It took him a bit to hear it, the grinding of stone on stone.

"Guys, look," Pike called, pointing to the back wall. The gap between it and the ceiling had halved.

Keyleth put her hands out. Everyone was quiet, thinking. Altan could only hear the crackling of the strange torches and...water dripping? He looked up to see a stalactite of ice steadily falling in large beads onto the teardrop. He nudged Keyleth and pointed up. "Look," he whispered.

"More," Keyleth said softly. Then louder, she said, "We need more ice not less."

Vex'ahlia blinked at her. "But what about the key?"

Keyleth waved her off. "We can come back for the key. Don't you want to see what's behind that wall?"

Vex'ahlia paused for a long moment. "...yes."

Keyleth laughed. She looked up at the stalactite. "Grog, could you lift me up?"

Grog squinted at her, puzzled. "Alright." He grabbed Keyleth by the waist and lifted her up onto his shoulder.

Keyleth grabbed onto the stalactite, bringing her hands back into blazing life. The drip became a drizzle which became a steady stream. It hit the top of the teardrop perfectly and froze quickly. The ice on the pedestal got heavier and heavier. Altan had to cover his ears as the wall screeched into the floor until the area was level.

It was pitch black on the other side of the opening. Altan had already made his way over to the door, flipping the daggers off his back. He crept into the dark slowly, letting his eyes adjust to the lower light.

The room was tiny, just enough space for one, maybe two people and the table along the back wall, which was glowing faintly with the same pale light as the previous room. The table had two items on it - a key and a curved piece of polished sapphire. He reached out to grab the sapphire but pulled his hand back with a hiss as soon as his fingertips brushed it. It was so cold it burned.

Grog peeked in, taking up the rest of the space as well as some of Altan's. Good thing Altan was small and skinny. "What did you find?" He asked. His eyes lit up when he saw the stone.

"Careful, they are very cold," Altan warned. Grog, who had his hand halfway to the items, began to pull it back slowly. Altan was strongly reminded of a child getting caught with their hand in a candy jar.

Grog was replaced by Percy, who reached out cautiously and picked up the sapphire with a gloved hand. "What do we suppose this is?"

Vex'ahlia looked around him at it. "It might just be a part of something else." She pointed to the carved-out notches on either end. "These could easily lock in with other pieces."

Percy nodded. "It's very possible." He reached out and grabbed the key with his other hand. "I'm beginning to think that the other key is a decoy."

"I think you're right." Scanlan jerked his thumb over his shoulder. Past him Altan could see that the door they'd entered was open again.

Altan ran as fast as he could out the door, leaping between the members of Vox Machina to keep his speed up. It was still chilly in the main room, but it wasn't even close to the frigidity of that final small room. He had never been that cold before and he hoped he'd never be again.

Percy came out last, holding the key up. The stone had disappeared into a coat pocket. "So, shall we see if we can find a door for this key?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Farsi Translations:  
> Amin - truthful  
> Aqil - wize  
> Arezu - desire  
> Azar - fire  
> Ziba - beautiful  
> Firuz - victorious  
> Mahtab - moonlight  
> Royâ - dream  
> Firdaus - paradise  
> Khayeh -   
> Ahmag - idiot  
> Shak dar averdam - 
> 
> Scene Titles:  
> Another awakening away from home  
> Finding Spring in all the wrong places  
> Altan finds out the doors bite back  
> The seasons but like in a Monty Python movie  
> The Winter Room  
> Fin.


	18. 17 - Skyward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira and The Gang (tm) make their way up the mountain and it's just as difficult as they thought it would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's fine.

They started their journey to the mountain early. Amira barely slept. She yawned as she joined her friends by the fire, Kadin automatically handing over a cup of tea, which she accepted with minimal grumbling. Julius had laid the two maps together. Amira looked down on it. "You have a very skilled hand," she commented. His map was beautifully accurate.

Julius buried his face in the maps but not before Amira caught a glimpse of the slight pink tinge across his nose, upper cheeks, and to the tip of his ears. He cleared his throat. It was just her way of speaking, not something to get worked up about. "Tibs and Kadin worked out a way up the mountain," he said, tracing it with his finger. "It's a little more treacherous than the other ways, but it also provides the greatest likelihood that we'll get to the entrance unnoticed."

"If everything goes as planned, we should be able to just get there by the end of the day," Elaina added.

Amira shook her head. "That is a very big if."

"I know," Elaina laughed. "Mom and Dad have told us countless stories about spending hours planning things with the rest of Vox Machina only to have that plan thrown out the window six seconds in."

"My own adventures have taught me a similar lesson," Amira agreed. "Things rarely do what is expected of them."

"Let's get going, then," Julius suggested, standing up. There was a feeling of tension building in him and he could tell they were close to the end. They made quick work of disassembling the camp and began the long trek up the mountain.

The first few miles were easy. The incline was smooth and gradual and there was a clear trail to follow. Then they left the foothills and started up the mountain itself. Here the ground was rocky and the footing was shaky at best. They had to pick their steps carefully. There was a...path to follow, but it was overgrown and clearly unused for some time. This was good, because it meant they were right about their chances to climb undetected, but it was also a big risk.

Tiberius and Amira, the two with the surrest footing in such rough terrain, took turns leading the group as they trekked up the mountain. A couple hours in, Amira was leading when she stopped short, putting a hand up. She was staring intently at a spot to her left. "I thought I heard-" She was cut off as something large and green leapt over the rock she was looking at. It had two heads, both of which bit into her shoulders as claws scratched her chest. Both the creature and Amira toppled to the ground.

"Amira!" Julius shouted. He pulled out his pistol and hit the creature twice in the chest. The shots rippled through the troll's skin but didn't faze it at all. He could see the wounds begin to close up automatically. "Fuck," he muttered.

Tiberius pulled out his bow and gave the troll two fresh new holes in its side. They could just see Amira pinned underneath it, punching and kicking and doing a solid amount of harm, although nothing seemed to be affecting it much.

Kadin darted towards his friend, teeth and fingernails extending into fangs and claws dripping with acid as he ran. He jumped onto the troll's back and began tearing at it with his modified features. It roared in pain, looking like it was finally feeling hurt. Julius also noticed that these wounds weren't healing like the others.

A large hand grabbed Kadin around the waist and flung him down the mountain. He rolled across the jagged ground until he slammed to a stop at the base of a large rock. Elaina looked from the troll to Kadin. She lifted both her hands, one at each of them. "Let's get you up," she called. A soft grey glow surrounded Kadin, pulling him back together a little bit. Elaina looked back to the troll and a bolt of grey energy struck it in the chest and held there as a beacon.

Two arrows from Tiberius buried themselves into the light and the troll behind it. Lymus jumped forward to flank the troll with Amira. Amira took this opportunity to stand and get a little distance between herself and the troll. Julius fought the urge to run to her - she was barely standing - and drag her to safety. But a stubbornness in her stance told him it would be a pointless endeavor.

The troll was now getting hit from multiple sides and it roared in frustration. Julius assaulted it from one side while Amira continued to rain down punches and kicks despite her injuries and Lymus bit and clawed. Kadin stood, slow but steady, and held out his hand. The fading grey of Elaina's spell was replaced with Kadin's signature light pink, which spiraled around the troll's body. The light encased the troll, making it even more susceptible to his acidic attacks as he leapt back into the fray.

The troll was swinging its arms around wildly now, hitting all three of the ones around him. It was finally starting to show significant wear. Kadin's attacks especially were tearing through the thick skin. Amira cried out as the troll landed a lucky hit to her temple. Its other fist caught her in the stomach as she fell. For a moment it looked like it was going to hit her again but Kadin tore his teeth into its leg, distracting it from the unmoving form below.

The troll didn't have much fight left and a well-placed arrow from Tiberius hit it between the eyes. The massive form fell back, the ground shaking as it hit, generating a cloud of dust.

Kadin hurried to Amira's side and dropped to his knees, pink energy sparkling at his fingertips. " _ Please do not be dead _ ," he whispered. He placed his fingers on Amira's temples, sending a pink mist swirling around her body.

Amira lay still. There was a long, tense moment and then with a ragged gasp, she sat straight up. "Easy, easy," Kadin crooned. "How do you feel?" Amira glared at him. "Alright, I see. Stupid question."

Amira looked around. "Did we win?" She rasped.

Kadin made a choking noise that was halfway between a laugh and a sob. He leaned forward to hug his friend. "You are still very reckless, my friend."

Amira let her head fall forward onto Kadin's shoulder. "You would not love me half so much if I was not."

Julius and Elaina ran over. "Is everyone alright?" Julius asked. "Amira? Kadin?"

"Everything is fine," Amira insisted. "I am simply glad Kasra is not here. She would absolutely give me a lecture for my poor form in that fight."

"Kasra?" Julius inquired, tilting his head.

Amira smiled, her eyes soft. "My...how do you say it... _ ostad _ ... _ ostad _ ...you learn things from...teacher! Everything I know about fighting, I learned from her."

"She seems really important to you," Julius commented.

Amira nodded. "I miss her much, more than I miss my parents. Even if she would hit me with her cane when I made a mistake. She did not even need a cane." With a groan, she pushed herself off the ground, refusing any help that was offered. "Let us get going. We still have a long way to go and little time to get there."

Elaina put a hand on Amira's shoulder. "Not looking like that you're not." She looked over her new friend with a healer's eye. "You look like you rolled around in a rockslide."

Amira laughed dryly. "I feel like I rolled around in a rockslide." She shook off Elaina's hand.

Elaina frowned at her and popped her in the forehead with a glowing grey hand. Amira stumbled back a step as the worst of her injuries faded away. Elaina grinned. "There. Now you at least don't look like you're on death's door." She patted Amira's shoulder, letting the last couple sparks of magic sink into the skin before jogging to catch up with her brother, who was going to be leading for now.

Amira huffed, smiling. She was reminded of the healer she was always taken to in Ank'harel. He and Elaina would get along well. They both had a 'no nonsense' approach to healing.

They continued to push on. The hours dragged by, noontime came and went. They stopped a moment to pull out something to eat, but decided to make it a walking lunch so they wouldn't lose time. It was exhausting both physically and mentally.

Amira was struggling, not that she would ever admit it. Determined, she kept pace with the rest of the group even though her right ankle was throbbing and her head ached.

"Sit," Elaina ordered, blocking Amira from continuing up the path. "You need to rest."

Amira put up a hand. "This is unnecessary. I am fine." She ducked around Elaina and kept walking.

Elaina turned and grabbed her arm. "Amira, you're good at hiding it, but I'm a cleric, remember? I know when someone’s body isn’t working right. You're favoring your left side, your breathing is heavy, and you're so pale I can almost see through you. Now sit," she said sternly.

Amira tried to pull away but Elaina was surprisingly strong. With a huff, she allowed herself to be dragged to a flat rock and sat down. "As I have said, there is no need for this mother-henning."

Elaina put the back of her hand on Amira's forehead. "You're burning up, Amira. You need to rest, even if it's just for a little bit."

Julius jogged up to them, having realized that the two of them had stopped. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine," Amira insisted. "Tell your sister she is worrying too much."

Julius turned to Elaina. "Are you worrying too much?"

Elaina sighed. "With how obstinate she's being, I'm starting to think I’m not worrying enough. I'll need to get a good look to be sure."

Julius looked at the path ahead, where it wound through a narrow canyon. "Alright, we'll take a rest here," he decided. He looked back at Amira. "You don't have to be so tough," he said with a smile, reaching out absently to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Especially not when we have a healer in the group."

Amira scoffed and crossed her arms but didn't protest when Elaina began to look her over for lingering injuries. "The healing spell I did seems to have gotten rid of most of the damage, but you still have a broken ankle and there is a large scratch on your back. And the fever, which probably developed over the several hours of walking we just did." She glared at Amira, who refused to look remorseful.

Elaina rummaged around in her bag. "Here, drink this," she said, pulling out a vial of a pale greenish liquid. "Just a sip. You don't need a lot of it."

Amira eyed it warily. "What does it do?"

Elain put the vial in her hand. "It will help with your fever. Drink it while I dress your ankle.

Amira shrugged and drank a small amount of the liquid. It tasted nice, very fresh and kind of minty. She immediately felt more relaxed, leaning back as Elaina pulled out supplies to make a splint.

"No, no splints," Amira said quickly. "I still need to be able to move quickly."

Elaina scowled at her. "You're just going to make it worse."

Amira raised her eyebrows. "You really think we will not have to fight again soon? I need my speed and agility to stay as effective as possible."

Amira and Elaina had a short staring competition before Elaina sighed and put away the wood pieces that would have acted as stabilizers. Instead, she wrapped it in fabric only, as tight as she could without impeding Amira's movement. "I suppose that will have to do."

"It will be fine, thank you."

"Now let's look at your back. It needs to be disinfectected and wrapped to keep it clean." Elaina went back into her bag for more supplies.

"Whatever you say, Elaina." Amira yawned. She was suddenly feeling very tired. She didn't protest at all when Elaina had her lean forward and lift up her shirt so she could get a good look at the back wound.

It looked like it had probably happened in the initial fall. There was a jagged line of red running from the top of her back, just to the left of her neck, all the way across to end just above her right hip. Elaina put a poultice on it that she'd gotten from Aunt Pike and wrapped it in clean bandages. "Those will have to be changed later, maybe when we stop for the night and again in the morning," She said. Amira nodded. She just wanted to sleep...

"What is in that concoction you gave me?" She asked.

Elaina just smiled. "Get some rest, Amira. Give your body at least a small chance to heal."

It didn't seem that Amira had a choice. She slipped out of consciousness, and by the time Elaina finished with her back, she was already fast asleep.

She woke up later to Kadin shaking her awake. "Did you have a nice nap?" She asked.

Amira yawned and stretched. "Probably could have had a more comfortable resting spot, but the sleep was nice, yes."

"I am glad. You look better."

Amira stood and looked around. The others were all standing around, their things already picked up and put back into bags and pouches. "I see that it is time for us to go."

"Just waiting on you," Julius teased.

"Careful," Amira warned, her eyes playful. "I saw where your sister puts that sleeping draught. Be wary next time I bring you tea."

Amira grabbed her own bags and they continued up the mountain. Darkness fell and they still had not reached the cave, but they knew they were close.

"It has to be somewhere around here," Tiberius muttered, getting face, map, and candle as close together as he dared.

Amira peered into the darkness. "I do not think we will find it like this," she said. "It is too dark and I am certain we can find it in the morning light."

Tiberius sighed. "Lymus? Have one more look around. If not then...I guess we'll call it a night."

They all circled the area again but could not find the entrance they were looking for. In the end, they set up camp and watches and got some rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Farsi Translation:  
> Ostad - mentor, teacher, master
> 
> Scene Titles:  
> Bright-eyed and Bushy-tailed  
> You've activated my trap card, two-headed troll!  
> Amira is a bad patient  
> Amira is a stubborn fool  
> The gang is defeated by Darkness


	19. 18 - Duskmeadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Altan and Vox Machina navigate their way through the remaining three seasons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my defense, I'm an asshole. No one's really reading it, anyways.

Altan faced a room full of mirrors bouncing light between them. It had taken a bit of fiddling with the sundial to figure out that the key they'd found in the winter room opened the door in summer. Like the winter room got colder the deeper they went, this one got warmer. Altan had shed the cloak, giving it back to Vex'ahlia, and was now basking in the heat like a lizard. His companions were not so comfortable.

A single beam of light from the ceiling jumped between a few of the mirrors. Altan went up to inspect one and found that they could turn within their stand. He gave it a push, watching as the light traveled lazily across the other mirrors.

In the center of this was another teardrop on a pedestal. Grog put his hand against it and was able to push into it a little. "Guys, this one's squishy," he announced.

"There's also a key and another stone in here," Percy added, following Grog over. "It seems that this one has a sort of membrane around a gel." He prodded at the drop with a finger.

"Maybe we can just pop it open?" Vex'ahlia joined them.

"There's no way it's going to be that simple," Scanlan countered. Vex'ahlia shrugged and did it anyway. She pulled out an arrow and attempted to plunge it into the membrane. It went deeply in, almost touching the key, but the membrane never broke.

"Well, fuck," Vex'ahlia said, looking down at her arrow. She tapped her finger lightly on the tip. It was definitely sharp enough. "Maybe it just needs more momentum," she mused. The others looked doubtful but also didn't stop her when she took out her bow and backed up to the wall. With a twang the arrow jumped from the string and struck the drop perfectly. It sunk in even deeper, moving the key a little, but it still popped right back out. The shaft caught Scanlan in the forehead.

He rubbed the spot where it had hit. "At least it wasn't in the neck this time." Vex'ahlia had the courtesy to at least look sorry.

Percy studied the mirrors closely, specifically the one that the beam was hitting directly. "I think we may need an aerial view of the room." He glanced over at Vex'ahlia.

Vex'ahlia grinned. "I think you may be right, dear." She reached into her bag and pulled out a broom. It had a seat and leg strap attached and even had metal bars for her to put her feet on. She said something in Draconic and lifted off the ground.

"Will you be joining me, darling?" Vex'ahlia asked Percy.

He thought for a moment. "I suppose I could." He smiled. "I'll meet you up there." Vex'ahlia nodded and drifted away.

Altan watched as she soared around, fascinated. Flying carpets were fairly common at home, but he'd never seen someone use a broomstick to fly before. Vex'ahlia circled the room a couple times before settling up by the ceiling in the middle of the room. Percy joined her soon after, walking up the wall to hang upside-down.

"See anything?" Scanlan asked, craning his neck to see them.

"There's definitely a pattern," Percy called back. "Could someone turn that one the sun is hitting a little to the right?"

Altan looked around and saw that he was closest to the mirror in question. He walked over and turned it. "A little more..." Percy instructed. "...and...stop!" Altan took his hands away. The light was now being reflected onto a mirror across the room.

Scanlan sighed. "Well, this is going to be tedious."

He was right. Even with Percy and Vex'ahlia directing them from above, it took forever to finally get all the mirrors in the right position for the light to hit the tear. This room had been designed as meticulously as the maze had been. Everything had to be exactly set for the contraption to work.

As the light hit the teardrop, it burst apart into countless flakes of glittering gold dust. It coated the entire room and everyone in it. Even Trinket was covered as he tried to catch the flakes on his tongue. Only Vex'ahlia and Percy escaped. Altan thought it looked rather beautiful on his darker skin. It was almost like when he, Amira, and Kadin would use Kadin's faerie fire to make grand, glowing entrances at parties. That only lasted a minute, however. This would stick to his skin for a lot longer. So while Percy and Vex'ahlia made their way down from the ceiling, Altan pulled an empty glass bottle from his bag and filled it with the dust. Keyleth was also collecting some, although in a much smaller vial.

The key and stone had fallen on top of the pedestal when their casing broke. Percy picked them up. "I can feel the heat of them through my gloves." He put the amber-colored stone into the same pocket as the sapphire. Just as before, as soon as both items had been taken, the door reappeared and they could return to the grove.

The new key led to the door in fall, which opened into a room full of thick fog and trees so dark they looked almost black and so tall the tops couldn't be seen from the ground. A single yellow light could just barely be seen in the fog ahead.

Altan started to walk towards the light, curious, but was stopped by Percy's hand on his arm. "Careful," he said. "If that light belongs to a fey creature, following it would only lead to trouble." Altan gave him a confused look. "It's a common way for fey creatures to attract their prey."

"So what do we do?" Altan asked.

"Go the opposite way?" Pike suggested.

Percy shrugged. "It's as good a plan as any." He took about three steps into the mist and then disappeared, only to reappear behind them. "What the hell?"

Keyleth squinted at the space ahead. "This is definitely not a natural fog."

"No shit," Grog mumbled. He stepped forward in a different direction from Percy and then stumbled into the other man, ending up in the exact same space.

Altan stared into the space ahead, looking for any kind of clue. Kadin and Amira, or even Tofi, would be much more useful than himself right now. They were much better at noticing the details. "This is ridiculous," he decided. "I will go see what the light is." It was the only different thing in the fog, so it had to be something.

"Are you sure?" Vex'ahlia asked, her brow furrowed.

"I will be fine. Besides," he added, "most likely I will just appear behind you. That is all the mist has done so far, yes?"

Vex'ahlia didn't look convinced but she didn't try to stop him as he stepped forward. The mist decided not to stop him, either. With each step he took, the light grew closer until it split into two and he was standing in front of a giant wood statue of a wolf with glowing golden eyes.

"Are you okay?" He hear Pike's voice call through the fog. "What are you seeing?"

"It is a statue," he called back. "Of a wolf."

Altan heard the distant sound of voices. It was strangely isolating, this fog. He could only see the vague shadows of his new friends, and their voices were muffled. Looking around, he could just see another light off to the left.

"What now?" Altan jumped as Scanlan materialized behind him.

"There is another light," Altan said, pointing.

"Then we move on," Percy said. "But first, I want to test a theory." He stepped into the fog going away from the light and vanished, just like before.

"Percy!" Vex'ahlia shouted after him.

"I'm right here, love," he said, walking up behind them.

Vex'ahlia ran over to him and began to yell, punctuating each word with a slap to his shoulder. "Don't. Ever. Scare. Me. Like. That. Again. You. Moron."

Percy grabbed her wrists to stop her from hitting him. "Yes, I suppose I deserved that," he chuckled. He gently kissed first her fingers and then her lips.

"You deserve much more than that," Vex'ahlia answered with a smirk, the heat fading from her words. "I might just make you sleep in the sand pit with Grog and Trinket."

"So, was your test worth getting sand in your underpants?" Scanlan asked.

Percy waved his hand noncommittally. "I at least found out that stepping the wrong direction into the fog will send you all the way back to the beginning."

"That's going to get annoying really fast," Scanlan commented.

"At least we have these lights to guide us," Pike said, resting her hand on the wooden wolf.

Three lights later, that became a problem.

"Does anyone see the next light?" Grog asked, squinting into the fog. Everyone shook their heads.

"Do we just...pick a direction?" Keyleth suggested. "Trial and error?"

"Sure, I'll try," Vex'ahlia said. "I can't think of anything else." She took a hard look around, searching for any hint, but ended up just picking a direction. One step and she was gone, Trinket close behind.

Percy sighed, eyes fixed on the spot where she'd gone. "I guess we'll wait for her to come back and then try a different direction." He rubbed the bridge of his nose underneath his glasses.

It had taken them a while to get to this point, so they had some time until Vex'ahlia returned. Altan hopped up onto the back of the wooden wolf to wait. Grog, Pike, and Keyleth settled onto the ground to play a game they called 'boulder, parchment, sheers.' Atlan watched with mild interest.

Soon Vex'ahlia came bursting from the fog, eyes slightly wild and a little out of breath, Trinket close at her heels. "I figured it out!" She called, pointing to Altan.

"Me?" He asked, pointing at himself in confusion.

"No, not you! Not that there'd be anything wrong with it being you," she added quickly. She took a moment to collect herself. "We need to follow the way the wolf statues are pointing. I noticed it while I was walking back. They always face towards the next light."

Percy scooped her up in his arms and swung her around. "Brilliant!" He gave her a quick kiss. "Let's go."

Following the wolves turned out to be exactly what they needed. They continued to wander, turning whenever they hit a new wolf statue. Just as Altan started to get antsy that they weren't ever going to get out, they burst into clear air. Behind them, the fog looked like it was stuck against an invisible wall. In front of them was a table with another key and a piece of polished ruby that matched the previous two stones.

"Finally," Grog said, snatching up the two items. As he did, a door opened across from them, leading back into the main room.

Only one door remained - spring. After unlocking it, Altan stepped through into a beautiful field full of flowers. In the center was a table piled high with food. A person was already sitting there, facing away from him. He turned back to see what the others thought but found only endless flowers in every direction. No doors, no wall, no Vox Machina.

"Altan?" A familiar voice called behind him. He turned to see the person at the table now walking forward and then breaking into a run. "Altan!"

Altan barely had time to brace himself before his sister came crashing into him. "Amira?" He asked, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Altan, I was so worried about you," she said into his shoulder. "You vanished and I did not know where you were. I was searching for you in the mountains around Whitestone when I found this place. Well, fell into it," she amended, pointing up. High above them was a domed roof with a hole in the middle that was letting light in.

Altan held onto her a moment longer, not wanting to let go for fear she would leave if he did. "I am glad you are alright. After I was taken, I could only think of what they may have done to you or the others, to get to me."

"We are both safe now, brother," she said. "Come, let us eat. I have tried the food already and it is delicious." She took his hands and led him towards the table.

Altan let her pull him but his mind was racing. His sister was...different. Something about her made him uneasy. Not the 'eating random food she found in a field' part. Once she learned to purify her body she never bothered to worry if food was harmful. No, it was that she wasn't being angry or violent. One time he had gotten lost in the streets of Ank'harel while they and Kadin were playing. When Amira finally found him she hugged him and checked him over for injuries and, satisfied that he was unhurt, proceeded to throw him over her shoulder and into a wall, pinning him there while she lectured him about going off on his own and didn't he know how dangerous that was? This calm Amira was...unnerving.

It was making him uncomfortable.

"Where are Kadin and the others?" He asked as she sat back down at the table. He sat down across from her.

"They are probably still up above us, searching. I am confident they will find the hole soon and rescue us both." Amira took a bite of some kind of pastry. "Please, eat. You must be hungry."

Altan was hungry, but his hunger was being overshadowed by his confusion. The Amira he knew would never wait for someone else to come rescue her. She would be searching for a way to rescue herself.

"Are you feeling alright?" He asked. He took a piece of fruit to appease her but set in on his plate uneaten.

"Of course. What else would I be?"

"Nothing," he conceded. So why did he still not trust this? She looked absolutely fine. It shouldn't be a problem.

Except it was.

Altan looked her over more closely as she ate. She just said that she fell almost a hundred feet, but there was no sign of injury. He had seen her fall from great heights and sustain hardly a scratch. In those cases, however, she'd use things to slow her fall - digging her feet into the ground, grabbing onto things nearby, rolling so she could keep her momentum. There was none of that here. Only air lay between the ground and the opening.

And there was one more thing. When they were alone - he, Kadin, and Amira - they preferred to speak Marquesian. It was hard work to constantly be translating everything you hear and say. So why were they speaking in Common now?

With Percy's warning about fey in his mind, Altan muttered, "Is this a dream?"

"What was that, Altan?"

He cleared his throat and louder, said, "This is a dream."

Amira looked at him, eyes wide. Then her face relaxed and she smiled sadly. "Perhaps, but it is a good dream. You could still stay. It is so beautiful. Do you really want to leave? The world is so cruel. You could know peace here."

Altan exhaled slowly. "It is a temptation, but I have to get back to the real Amira." He smiled a little. "She is probably angry enough already. She will be angrier still if I fail to return."

The person nodded and the image of his sister shimmered and disappeared, along with the field around him. For the second time in recent memory, he woke in a dark room, lying on a cold stone floor. He could see the others around him. Some were still sleeping, but Pike, Keyleth, and Vex'ahlia were awake and sitting up.

"You're awake!" Keyleth said, noticing his movement. "I tried to wake everyone up but it appears the spell can only be broken from the inside."

Altan nodded but he'd barely heard her. His mind was still on the dream and on his sister. Part of him wished he had stayed after all. In the dream, his sister had been there, whole and present. Out here...out here there was a chance he'd never see Amira or Kadin again. He hadn't thought about that before, had refused to think about it.

There was movement in front of him and he looked up to find Pike standing there, holding out a handkerchief. He touched his cheek, surprised to find it wet. He didn't recall beginning to cry.

"Thank you," he said, taking the cloth.

Pike sat down next to him. "I know it isn't the same, but Grog and I have been friends since we were both very young, and when I found out he'd joined this group, I followed. We were never forcibly separated, but there were times when he had to go off with Vox Machina and I had to stay behind to do work for Serenrae." She looked fondly at Grog, who was lying with his mouth open and drool dripping into his beard. "The first time we had to be apart, I didn't realize somebody could miss another person that much. It was the only time I even considered abandoning my charge."

Altan shifted so that he could sit against a wall. Across from him was a shimmering barrier cutting them off from a table with a stone on it. He leaned his head back, eyes closed. "I dreamt of Amira," he said finally. "And...and I am afraid. I worry that I will never see her and Kadin again." Pike didn't say anything, just adjusted herself so she could sit next to him. "Some in Marquet believe twins to be a symbol of bad luck. It is no longer a common belief but the superstition was often brought up to us as a joke. I never thought anything of it but it must be some terrible luck that separates us now."

"I understand, in a way," Vex'ahlia said. She was sitting at Percy's side, laying back on Trinket and staring at the ceiling. "I used to think my twin brother, Vax, had the best luck in the world. But then...I don't know if it was his bad luck, or mine, or both of ours together, but he was taken away."

"It wasn't anybody's bad luck," Keyleth interjected. "We were constantly playing with fire and getting burned. It was only a matter of time before things went too far."

They sat together in heavy silence, none of them wanting to speak anymore. It wasn't too long before Scanlan became the next to wake, followed by Grog.

Percy was the last to wake. He rolled towards his wife, nuzzling into Trinket's fur. "And I was worried about fey hiding in the fog," he groaned, rubbing his eyes. "No one ate the food, did they?"

"I don't think we'd be here if we had," Vex'ahlia commented, gently stroking his hair.

"I'm impressed, Grog," Scanlan said. "I thought you'd have eaten something for sure."

"Excuse me," Grog protested, puffing himself up. "You are speaking with a learnéd gentleman. I can read four and five letter words."

"Yeah!" Pike added encouragingly. "You've been doing so good, Grog. I'm very proud of you."

Grog beamed. "Thanks, Pike."

"The barrier's down," Keyleth said from the other side of the room. She was holding the stone, an emerald this time. A door stood open behind her. "Should we go see what's behind door number five?"

They walked out and stood in front of the giant door. Percy pulled out the three stone pieces he'd been holding in his jacket.

"What order do you think they go in?" Scanlan asked.

"Order we found them in?" Vex'ahlia suggested.

"Order of the seasons?" Pike added.

"Rainbow order!" Grog announced with a grin.

They started with rainbow order after Grog suggested it another three times. Percy had started putting them together in seasonal order when Keyleth stopped him. "Look," she said, pointing to the upper-left corner of the door. Almost indistinguishable from the rest of the door were a series of four symbols in a circle. "It's in druidic," she explained. She pointed to each of them in turn, starting at the top and going clockwise. "Summer, fall, winter, spring."

Altan blinked twice. "Same as on the sundial."

"Same as on the sundial," Keyleth confirmed with a nod.

The stones were rearranged to fit the new order and placed in the door.

It opened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scene Titles:  
> The Summer Room  
> The Lost Forest from Zelda  
> The Room of Temptation  
> Altan has a minor breakdown  
> Everyone's back in the real Spring Room  
> The Final Door-Down


	20. 19 - Reunions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amira and company find their way into the cave system where they find things they expected and things they didn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I woke up three minutes before my posting alarm for this went off.

The area looked so different in daylight that Amira at first thought they had been teleported to a completely different mountain. They started up the search for the entrance again.

"We must be close," Amira called down. She'd climbed up to a ledge about fifteen feet up, carrying the map. "There is not much further the path can go." Amira made a few marks on the map that Tiberius could hopefully use to calculate distance. She sighed. It was annoying that the entrance wasn't just at the end of the path. She pushed herself off the ledge and half-slid, half-ran down back down.

"Based on the distances you marked, it has to be less than ten feet from us," Tiberius said, taking the map back from Amira.

Kadin wandered up the path a ways, letting his hand brush along the canyon wall. This section was abnormally smooth...he stopped to take a closer look. The smoothed-over wall was about ten feet long and had distinct, straight edges. Definitely artificial, then. He pulled out his staff and started tapping along it, listening carefully for any change in sound.

Elaina meandered over. "What are you up to?"

Kadin tapped another section, his ear to the wall. "This part of the canyon has been smoothed over by something that clearly was not natural." He moved down a bit and tapped again.

There.

He took a step away from the wall. "You perhaps would like to move back some." Elaina quickly backed up to the other side of the narrow canyon. Kadin braced himself with a stance Amira had taught him and put both hands on the wall. Pink mist gathered under his hands, seeping into the stone until, with a thunder that sent loose rocks rolling down into the canyon, the rock split to reveal a hidden passageway.

"Good work!" Julius said. He, Amira, and Tiberius had been drawn over by all the ruckus.

Kadin smiled. "Thank you. I am just glad that I decided to look over that spell this morning. I have not had reason to use it recently and so it had faded from my memory."

"And this is why I do not bother with spells," Amira said with a chuckle. "Too much time spent sorting through a large number of spells in order to select and memorize the few that you might need that day. Far too tedious."

"Says the one who will get up before dawn to practice a single move over and over again."

Amira shrugged. "I do not need to be fully awake for that. My muscles remember so I do not have to." She stepped into the tunnel and stood still, letting her eyes adjust to the scarcity of light. Her vision shifted into shades of grey.

Kadin stood beside her, pulling a set of goggles out of his bag. "It is a small tunnel," he said, bent over slightly.

"I do not know about that," Amira replied with a grin. Everyone else was at varying degrees of hunched over but she was standing upright, just shy of having her head touch the tunnel roof.

"Good." Kadin pushed her forward. "That means you can see the clearest and will guide the way."

Amira laughed and walked out front with Lymus at her side, since he was similarly unhindered by height. The tunnel continued for a while before they were faced with a grate of solid bars. Amira peered through. The room on the other side was lit by natural light coming from air holes in the ceiling. It looked empty, so far as she could tell.

Elaina crowded in beside her. "How do we get through?" She whispered.

Amira shrugged. "I do not know. Kadin?"

Kadin pushed his way through to the front and looked at the obstruction. "Iron," he said, running his finger along a section of it. "Sturdy, but should not be too much of a problem." Amira motioned for him to go ahead and stepped back, dragging Elaina with her. Kadin readjusted his night-vision goggles and pulled out a vial of bubbling green liquid. He carefully pulled the top off, which was also a dropper, and carefully dripped the liquid in strategic places on the bars. It sizzled quietly through the iron until he could easily pluck them from the wall.

"After you," he said with a little bow to his friend.

Amira grinned and ducked through the opening. The room was just as empty as she originally thought. All that was of interest was the door directly in front of her and the one to her right.

Tiberius came up beside her, holding the map. "I think that door," he said, pointing to the right, "Will just lead us through a couple rooms and then back outside."

"So we go straight ahead." Elaina finished. Tiberius nodded. He had out the small piece of charcoal that he'd been using to mark their path so far.

The door to the next room was unlocked and untrapped. There must have been less worry of intruders in this area. Amira smiled. She loved being underestimated. It made it so much easier to take people by surprise.

The new room was full of things. There were bookshelves that were completely full and a slew of papers were falling off the desk. Amira recognized the chaotic energy of the room - it definitely belonged to the same woman as the manor office. Julius immediately started snooping through the papers.

"She's been planning this forever," he said, surprised. He held up a paper. "She was the one who sent Viatorem to the Whitestone area. So she would know where Altan was when she needed him."

Amira gave an involuntary shiver. "What an unsettling person."

"Guys, come look at this," Elaina called from the other side of the room. She and Tiberius were standing in front of a mirror that spanned almost the entire height and breadth of the wall.

Kadin examined the frame. "Scrying runes," he muttered, touching one. His magic spread through the grooves in the frame and the mirror slowly added colors, first just in blobs but coming more distinct by the second. When it became completely clear, Kadin gasped. Amira and Julius whipped around.

The mirror showed a beautiful forest, with green leaves and blooming flowers. And, standing in front of an arc of doors was Altan and all the members of Vox Macina. They were tired and injured but alive.

Amira rushed forward and put a hand to the mirror. It was solid. Just an illusion, then. Her hand came down again, this time as a fist. The mirror rippled like thick liquid. She kept hitting it, her mouth turned back in a snarl. The three de Rolos looked at Kadin but he wasn't paying attention. He was watching the image of Altan, desperately holding back tears. He only noticed when a particularly strong punch shook the entire mirror, frame and all.

Kadin snapped back into the present. He gave Amira a stern look. "Amira, stop that. This is not helping anything."

Amira glared at her friend. Julius recognized that dangerous, cat-like gaze from when they were going to see the Clasp. But back then the look had been playful, mischievous. Now she looked feral and angry. Threatening. It was...kind of thrilling, actually. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. Now he kind of understood his parents’ attraction to each other.

Amira at least ceased attacking the mirror, which was still following the others as they went through one of the smaller doors. She paced back and forth in front of it, muttering in Marquesian. From the wince on Kadin's face, it was nothing good.

"Amira, you need to calm down," Elaina said gently. She took a step towards her but stopped short. Amira's look and body language reminded Elaina of a caged tiger she'd seen in a circus once. Her muscles were tensed, eyes wide and darting, teeth bared and snarling. It was all too much. She snapped.

"Calm down!" She shouted, a little hysterical. "Calm down? How can I be calm knowing that my twin is out somewhere getting pummeled for the whim of a madwoman?" She kicked over a stack of books that sat on the floor, glaring at Elaina. "Why are you telling me to calm down? You should be getting angry as well! These are you parents, your family." She grabbed a decorative vase off a bookshelf and hurled it across the room. It shattered as it hit Julius square in the chest. His armor took the brunt of the force but a shard of porcelain caught his eyebrow.

Amira froze, her eyes wide. "I am so sorry, I am so sorry," she said, continuing to repeat this as she backed away.

"Hey, hey," he said, his voice soft like he was coaxing a frightened animal. He stepped forward after her. "It's okay. You didn't mean it."

Amira backed up until she hit a bookshelf and crumpled to the floor. She curled up into a ball, putting her head on her knees. Julius sat down next to her and she leaned into him. "I am sorry," she murmured, her eyes flicking to his face where blood trickled over his eye.

Julius wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "It's nothing," he assured her. "Just a scratch."

"I hate her. I have never even met her and I hate her." Amira buried her head in Julius's shoulder. "I did not think a person could hate another this much."

Julius rubbed circles on her back, something his mother had done to calm him when he was younger. One hand reached up to gently stroke her hair. "I know. I do too. We're going to find her and end this."

Amira straightened and took some deep breaths, looking for her center. Her gaze fell on Julius and she matched his breathing. Okay, okay, okay. "Yes, we will. Let us continue." Her voice only wavered a little as she stood and turned towards the next door, deliberately avoiding the mirror, which had returned to being a mirror.

Kadin looked over at Julius. "I am impressed. I have never gotten her calm so fast," he admitted. "Only Altan."

Julius shrugged. "Comes from having a lot of siblings, I guess. I'm the second of eight. You get used to dealing with all kinds of things."

They fell into step with each other as they walked out of the room and into a hallway. "What possessed your parents to have so many children?" Kadin asked.

Julius considered this for a moment. "My father had a large family," he began, "but they were all killed by this couple, the Briarwoods. It wasn't until years later that he even found out that Aunt Cass survived. And my mother...she and her father weren't on very good terms for a long time, and their relationship is still strained. She's always loved her half-sister, Velora, but didn't see her often. It was just her and Uncle Vax."

"Is that where your brother got his name?"

Julius nodded. "He died. It's a complicated story, but it was tied into their fight with Vecna. After all that...I guess they just wanted more."

Kadin gave him a half-smile. "I have never wanted more, but I think I see how someone else might. I have no siblings or parents. I was taken in by the Safar family as their ward when I was still too young to remember it. I was told my mother died in childbirth and my father was unknown. Altan and Amira are my only family. It is hard to imagine any more than that."

"That sounds nice too, though. I never-" He was interrupted by a pained scream from up ahead. "That sounded like Tiberius!"

They both dashed forward. They'd fallen further behind than they'd realized and the others had already gone through a door. They burst through and found themselves opposite a great golden door with a hole in the middle. In front of it was a solid gold creature with one giant eye in the center,surrounded by eight tentacles, each sporting an eye in different colors. Beneath the center eye was a sharply grinning mouth.

"Beholder," Kadin breathed. "This is what Amira found the plans for."

Tiberius knelt on the ground, Elaina hovering over him while he retched, although no vomit came out. Amira stood in front of them, her stance defensive. The creature roared and it sounded like a thousand daggers being ground together. Julius covered his ears but it didn't help. The sound was now in his body, reverberating from his bones. He felt like he was going to be sick. Now he understood Tiberius's position.

Kadin put a hand on his shoulder blade. "Julius?" He asked softly.

"I'll be alright," he said, even managing a small smile. Kadin helped steady him just as they saw Lymus get hit with a beam of pale blue-white light from one of the eye stalks. The wolf lay unmoving as the light continued to skitter across his skin. Tiberius stopped firing arrows to run over and check on him.

Amira was weaving between black and purple beams, closing in on the creature. Julius fiddled with his guns, torn. He wanted to help with the fight, but guns were loud, especially in an enclosed room like this. It would ruin any element of surprise they might still have.

A bolt of energy from his sister whipped past him, lighting up the monster with her grey light. Amira drove her fist into the same point, using the light to guide her. The beholder rocked back and then came crashing forward, its sharp teeth wrapping around her middle and digging in. She shrieked in pain as it threw her across the room, skidding to a stop near Tiberius.

Tiberius helped her up, the faint pale brown of his magic barely visible. Amira straightened and grinned despite the split in her lip and the blood dripping down her chin. There was determination in her eyes as she ran back into the melee - she wasn't going to stop unless it was dead or she was.

Julius shook his head as he watched her. "Fuck it," he muttered. They were probably going to get found out eventually and he was done feeling useless. He pulled out his pistol and started firing at the eye in the middle, his shots hitting with an extra burst of flame. The creature squirmed and flailed in response.

A barrage of arrows flew from Tiberius, pinning the eye stalks to the wall. Amira jumped in after them, driving her foot into the beholder's eye until it burst from the force and the monster fell back. It twitched and then lay still. The golden door it had come from and the beholder itself browned and crumbled to dust, leaving only the eye stalks behind.

Amira leaned against the wall, breathing heavily and clutching at her stomach. "I think Altan can rescue himself, yes?" She chuckled and then grimaced. "I would like to go home."

Elaina came over with healing magic. "Do you really want to leave your brother - who got kidnapped - to rescue himself?"

Amira gave a laugh that turned into a cough. "I suppose you are right."

Tiberius was occupied with Lymus, who was finally starting to stir. Elaina finished patching up Amira as best she could and went to help her twin. Kadin was inspecting the eye stalks. Julius decided that he would take a look at this new door. Amira walked over to stand next to him. She was still covered in the beholder's...blood? Guts? Insides? Whatever it was, it was all gold and metallic and Julius couldn't help but look at where it met Amira's dark skin in gleaming contrast.

He turned reluctantly back to the door. "What do you think?" He asked.

"I do not want to touch it," Amira replied with a chuckle.

"It's beautifully designed." Tentatively, Julius brushed the door with his fingertips. There was a deep depression in the feather he was touching that looked...out of place. He glanced around and saw seven similar feathers. "What are these grooves for?"

Amira took a look at what he'd found. "I am unsure...maybe something is supposed to fit in them?" She looked at the rest of the door. It had hinges on one side, so it was meant to open, but had no handle or nob and opened towards them, so they couldn't just push it.

The door itself gave nothing away and the rest of the room was completely empty. They searched the floor and walls but found no secrets. Tiberius stood where the beholder's eye stalks had fallen. Elaina came to stand next to her twin. "Whatchya thinking?" Tiberius raised his head. Elaina followed his gaze. "Oh!"

"Oh what?" Julius called from across the room.

"I think the eye stalks will open the door," Tiberius answered.

Kadin, Amira, and Julius joined them. Amira frowned. "This is ridiculous."

"Perhaps not," Kadin admitted. He picked up one of the eye stalks. "They do seem the same size as those indents."

"Fine," Amira sighed. She snatched the eye stalk from Kadin. "I will work on getting the eyes out while the rest of you figure out the order. I am sure there is a specific one." She flipped out her dagger and got to work prying the eyes from the stalks. They were unlike any eyes she had ever seen. They looked incredibly realistic, if odd in their different colors. She inspected them closer and found they were actually gemstones carved to look like eyes. Incredible.

Amira carried the stones over to the door. "So, what order?"

"We came up with a...few ideas," Kadin said, looking at Julius.

Julius blushed a little. "I wanted to put them in rainbow order," he admitted.

"But then I remembered that the beholder's eyes were above it in a similar arrangement before it came out and attacked us," Elaina interjected. "I just can't remember what order."

Amira nodded, thinking back. "Yellow, light blue, red, dark blue, black, green, purple, white." Tiberius, Elaina, and Julius stared at her while Kadin put them into the door. Amira shrugged. “I have a good memory.” There was a click when the last one was settled and the door split, each half swinging towards them.

The room on the other side was...admittedly underwhelming. It was massive, sure, but it was empty. There were three other sets of large doors, one directly across from them and one to each side. But there were no killer constructs or hungry monsters or death traps. Amira was honestly kind of disappointed. Where was the flair, the showmanship of that last fight?

"Is this all?" She asked. "I expected more."

Julius stared at her. "You're...upset? That the room's empty?"

Amira shrugged. "It was a big door, and we worked hard to get through it. Something magnificent should have been on the other side."

Julius opened his mouth to reply but stopped when the door to their left started to creak open. Instead, he leaned over to Amira and asked, "Ever heard the phrase, be careful what you wish for?"

Amira laughed with a huff. "I had not, but I will keep it in mind." She shifted into a defensive stance and Julius pulled out his pistol. The others followed suit. They stood perfectly still, watching the door open.

Julius lowered his pistol and started running to the door as a man with pure white hair and a long blue coat stepped through. It took Amira a moment to recognize him from the portraits she'd seen - Percival de Rolo. A sudden fear possessed her and she dashed after Julius, blocking his path before he could get a third of the way across.

"Amira, what are you doing?" Julius demanded. "That's my father." He moved to try and get around her.

"Julius? Julius, stop!" Amira gripped his upper arms tightly so he would stay put. "What if this is a trap? This could easily be an illusion."

Julius paused at this and stopped trying to get away. "Do you really think so?" He asked quietly, worry creeping into his voice."

Amira bit her lip. "I do not know," she admitted. "I simply...urge you to be cautious." Hesitantly, she moved on hand to rest on his jaw, her thumb brushing his cheek. He leaned into it instinctively.

"Amira? Is that really you?" Amira's hand slipped from Julius's face and he watched her resolve waver. She turned slowly to look at the group standing just inside the door. "Altan?" She was torn, wanting to run to her brother but afraid he wasn't real. Julius took her hand and gave it a quick squeeze, his heart beating too fast.

. . . . .

Percy was the first one through the door when it opened. He peeked around the corner, not wanting anything on the other side to see him. And something was on the other side - or, rather, someone. Multiple someones. He could see a group of five people standing on the far right side of the large room they were in.. They were standing in guarded stances, ready for an attack. Percy stepped through, keeping his arms loose but ready to draw his gun if necessary.

One of them lowered their weapon, staring for a moment before running at them. Another person ran after him, blocking his path. They were having a heated discussion in hushed tones. Now they could get a better look at the two who had run closer.

Altan gasped. "Amira." He took a few cautious steps forward, and then a few more. The others were still piling in behind him from the room of seasons. He hesitated, watching her. He wanted to make sure he was right. It definitely seemed like her...fuck it. "Amira? Is that really you?" He called, cursing the waver in his voice.

She turned, looking just as trepidatious as he felt. "Altan?" She answered. She seemed like she wanted to run to him but, just as she moved, something darted past her and slammed into Altan, almost knocking him over. Altan immediately recognized the distinct cardamom and cinnamon and earthy smell of Kadin. He buried his hands in Kadin's wild curls as Kadin pulled him in for a deep kiss, hands cupping Altan's face. They stayed that way a long time and not long enough.

Grog, Scanlan, and Pike were cheering and whistling from the peanut gallery. That was all the proof that the rest needed. Julius, Elaina, and Tiberius went crashing into their parents. Lymus greeted an enthusiastic Trinket.

Amira let Julius's hand slide out of hers as she moved at a slower pace. She wanted to give Altan and Kadin a little time together. She watched the reunions with a smile. After a minute, Altan found her. He pulled her into a tight hug. "I missed you."

Amira hugged him back. "I missed you, as well." In one smooth motion, she hooked her leg around his and swept his feet out from under him, pushing his shoulders to help him fall. They both hit the ground with a loud thump.

" _ What did I tell you about staying safe and close to us _ ?" She yelled at him in Marquesian. " _ Do you have any idea how worried we have been? You have been missing for a week! We had to travel to Stilben to find you _ ."

"Wait, wait, hold up." Scanlan walked over, hands held out. "We're in Stilben?"

Amira sat up, surprised. "Well, yes. Or rather, in the mountains near Stilben." She glared at her brother one more time and then stood, letting him go.

"We'll have to talk about how you managed to find us later," Vex'ahlia said. Tiberius and Elaina had wedged themselves under her arms. "For now, let's focus on getting out of here."

"We can just go back the way we came," Elaina suggested. She turned to lead them in that direction and frowned.

The door was gone.

In fact, most of the doors were gone, like they'd never been there at all. Only one was left. "Or...we go that way," Elaina amended. They all stared at the remaining door. There was a feeling of finality about it. Whatever was waiting for them on the other side, it was the end.

"Maybe we should rest," Keyleth suggested. "A nice, long rest. With hot tubs. I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to go through that door at anything but my best." She looked at Scanlan.

"With pleasure," he said. With a flourished bow, a door appeared from thin air.

Vox Machina filed in first, followed by the twins, Altan, and Kadin until only Julius and Amira were left. Amira faltered at the edge of the magic door. When Julius noticed, he turned back and offered his hand to her with a smile. The tension fell out of her body and she smiled back. She took the offered hand and let him pull her through the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scene Titles:  
> Kadin finds a Thing  
> SECRET TUNNEL  
> A brief stay in a boring room  
> Mirror Mirror the size of a wall  
> Amira has a breakdown  
> Kadin and Julius talk about siblings  
> A Mother Fucking Beholder  
> Door Inspection  
> A well-earned reunion  
> Friends on the other side  
> Now I lay me down to sleep


	21. 20 - The Throne Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now reunited, Vox Machina et. all go forth to finish this, one way or another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This is the chapter with the major character death.
> 
> Remember, though, this is based on D&D and uses D&D mechanics.

Amira pulled her hair into a messy bun on top of her head and slid deeper into the steaming water. She sighed, content for the first time in a week. Her brother was alive and back with her. They were safe, at least for the night. The water could be warmer, but she wasn't going to press that one. Kadin probably wouldn't mind, but their new friends might. She and Kadin were joined in the bath by Altan, Julius, the twins, and the entirety of Vox Machina.

It was a very large bath.

"So, what do you think is on the other side of that door?" Elaina asked almost immediately.

Amira groaned. "Elaina, I consider you a friend, so I say this with all of the love in my liver, do not say another word or I will knock you unconscious. We are relaxing,  _ moosh moosh-am _ . So relax."

"I see your flair for the dramatic has not dimmed," Altan said with a grin.

Amira glared at him. "Says the boy I found draped over a  _ majlis _ holding a Cemetary Iris because Kadin ate the last of the baklava."

Scanlan was grinning. "And I thought I was theatrical."

Kadin rolled his eyes. "If I had all the hours of a hundred years, I could not tell you every tale of their melodramatics."

Vex'ahlia shook her head, smiling. "You fit right in, then."

"True," Amira agreed, nudging her friend with her elbow. "He is simply more subtle about it."

The soak was nice but not nearly long enough. Eventually, they had to get out and actually get the rest they needed.

"I added some extra rooms," Scanlan said. The mansion groaned around them. "Well, now there are extra rooms. One is for you, Amira. Ah...there's a honeymoon suite at the end of the hall for Altan and Kadin." He winked at them. "And then one for Julius, and I assumed the twins would want to stay together." Elaina and Tiberius nodded. Scanlan led them to the right area before going to his own room.

They split up to go to bed. As Amira closed the door to hers, she felt a restlessness like a shiver running up her spine. She wanted to go now, wanted to get this over with. She couldn't bear anticipation and hated waiting. Normally, she would go to Kadin or Altan to distract herself, but she knew better than to interrupt them now. They didn't need to tie a scarf to the door handle for her to know what was going on in that room right now.

Julius.

He sprung into her mind, unbidden but not unwelcome. Julius did seem to have a grounding effect on her. Taking a deep breath, she walked back out of her room and across the hall to Julius's door. She knocked.

A moment later, the door swung open. Julius stood on the other side. His outerwear had been removed, so he stood only in a billowing blue shirt and black pants. He looked...different without his coat and vest and boots.

It wasn't a bad thing.

"Amira," he greeted. "Did you need something?"

"I...," she faltered. This was stupid. She wasn't a child who needed to be comforted before she could sleep. She could just talk to Kadin or Altan in the morning. "Nothing. I apologize if you were bothered. Goodnight, Julius." She turned away.

Julius caught her wrist before she could go far. "Wait. Is everything okay?"

Amira turned back and smiled at Julius's worried face. "I am fine. Simply tired."

Julius tugged her gently back towards him. "I don't believe you."

Amira let herself be pulled into Julius's room. They sat on the end of the bed. "I am alright," she promised. "I just...I am uncomfortable with waiting, and worried about what will happen tomorrow, and..."

"And?" Julius prompted.

Her voice was quiet when she spoke again. "And I did not want to be alone." As soon as she said it, she knew she sounded foolish. She turned away from him, ashamed.

Julius's arms wrapped around her shoulders. "There's nothing wrong with that. You don't have to be strong all the time."

Amira leaned back into him, enjoying the comfort of his warmth. "Yes, I do," she countered. "Altan and Kadin are so gentle, even if Altan would never admit it. I do not want either of them to lose that. Besides, you seem to be managing, and you must be equally as worried."

"It's all an act, dear," he chuckled. "Actually, I'm glad you came over. You stopped the endless cycle of what-ifs I'd gotten myself into. I never would have gotten to sleep that way."

An idea floated in Amira's head. "Do you think I could stay here tonight?" She blurted, before she could stop herself. "I mean, if it is alright with you. I will go if you mind." She started to stand, ready to go.

In response, Julius lay back on the bed, dragging Amira down with him. The bed was big and comfortable and they easily fit on it together. Amira expected Julius to release her so they could create some space. Instead, he held her tighter. Amira shifted so that she was facing Julius, head resting on his chest. It felt...safe.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head. "Anytime."

Amira allowed herself to relax and let sleep find her.

. . . . .

Everyone woke and met for breakfast early. Amira had been up even earlier, grumpily doing pattern dances with her staff and shadowboxing down in the sand pit, even sparring a little with Grog. She was the last one into the dining area. Julius smiled at her as she sat down next to Altan. Her brother passed her a plate already full of her favorite fruits from the spread on the table. They chatted together in Marquesian, not paying attention to the rest of the table. Julius watched them, fascinated. They were definitely twins. He'd seen their physical similarity the day before, as close to identical as they could be while not actually being identical. But now he could see it in their expressions, in their movements. He looked over at Elaina and Tiberius. They were so different in comparison, but in a complimentary way.

He wondered which kind his mom and Uncle Vax had been.

His mom touched his shoulder. "Jules? It's time to go." He nodded and rose from the table.

Opening the door would be easy. There were handles on either side of the split. Altan had checked for traps and they weren't locked. All they had to do was turn and push.

Only no one wanted to.

"This is stupid," Grog said. He stepped forward and pushed open the doors. A light flashed, blinding them all momentarily.

A high, melodic voice floated through the light. "You got here quicker than I expected. I suppose I shouldn't have underestimated the mighty Vox Machina. And I see you have picked up some strays, how nice. I am interested in how they managed to sneak in here without my knowledge."

Their vision slowly faded back to normal. They were standing in an octagonal room. On the far side, an elven woman sat on a high throne. She looked nothing like the woman who Amira had seen at the manor house. Her skin was pale as ice and her hair a silvery grey. She wore robes of a pale lavender that matched her eyes, and a crown of shining silver and pearls.

"Vex, please," Grog pleaded, bouncing from foot to foot.

Vex'ahlia put a hand up, telling him to wait. "Who are you?" She asked the woman.

"Why, I'm your host! Lady Analysia, wizardess and Vox Machina admirer."

"I hope that's not how you introduce yourself at parties," Percy called up. His hand was hovering by Bad News, ready to pull it out at a moment's notice.

"Lord Percival, you wound me," Analysia laughed. "Intelligent people, such as you and I, are above such mundane things as parties."

"I don't know," Percy grinned. "I happen to like parties."

Analysia shrugged, nonchalant. "Maybe I will rethink that view."

"You say that like you're going to make it out of here alive," Grog said, pulling out his Blood Axe. His eyes glinted, ready for battle.

"You have a lot to answer for," Amira added, her stance also showing she was ready for a fight.

Analysia laughed. "I have nothing to answer to you for, little shadow. Your brother was simply the final piece. And what a perfect piece he was. I only wish he had died. It would have made him exactly like Vax'ildan."

Amira's eyes flashed with rage. Her new demeanor was eerily similar to Grog's. Julius looked over to Kadin and Altan for assurance that this was normal but found none. They looked just as surprised as he was.

Grog beamed down at her, his grin feral. "Yeah," he growled. "Let's do this." Amira said nothing but matched his grin with her feline snarl that made Julius's heart flip. With Amira's quick steps and Grog's bounding strides, they made it to Analysia in seconds. Grog swung his axe towards her middle while Amira flipped over her, bringing her foot down on the elf's head. Analysia hissed and an arcane shield flashed as their hits landed. Grog used the rebound momentum to carry him into his next strike. Amira landed in a crouch and sprung back up, jabbing twice towards Analysia's kidneys.

The rest of their group bolted into action, once they had time to process Grog and Amira's sudden attacks. Altan dashed for his sister, flicking out two of his daggers as he ran. He, Amira, and Grog surrounded her, attacking and distracting her in turn. They circled her, trying to keep her attention on them and away from all the ranged fighters.

The aforementioned ranged fighters had spread across the back of the room. Spells, arrows, and bullets sailed through the air. They could clearly see that she was getting hit, and her body reacted like she felt pain, but no wounds showed on her body, no blood could be seen on her skin and dress.

Altan and Amira were a blur, weaving in and out of each other without ever getting in each other's way. It was less like fighting and more like dancing to inflict pain. Analysia was clearly getting frustrated. "Stop," she commanded, her voice vibrating with magic. The twins stopped what they were doing and stood still. She smiled sweetly at them, brushing a lock of loose hair out of Amira's face. "Protect me, won't you dears?" They both nodded.

Grog was already mid-swing when Altan slid in front of him and couldn't stop the momentum as the strike meant for Analysia dug into Altan's shoulder. Grog almost dropped his axe in shock. "Move, idiot," he warned. Altan did nothing, didn't even react to the blow.

During this, Amira had slipped into a shadow behind her, reappearing behind Keyleth. Startled, Keyleth asked, "What are you doing over here? Is something wrong?"

Wordlessly, Amira stepped between Keyleth and Analysia and aimed three quick punches at the druid's stomach. Keyleth deflected the first one but the next two hit her squarely in the abdomen.

"Pike?" Keyleth yelled, gasping. "A little help here? I think she's charmed."

Pike had her hands raised, about to cast a spell, but she lowered them when she heard Keyleth's plea. She ran over and took Amira's hand in both of hers. Amira tried to pull away but Pike was stronger than she looked. "It's alright," Pike said with a gentle smile. A warm glow spread from her hands until it covered Amira's entire body.

A fog cleared from Amira's eyes and she blinked. "I am so sorry!" She told Keyleth, suddenly panicked.

"It's alright, it wasn't you," Keyleth assured her. "Let's take this bitch down."

Amira nodded. The fire returned to her eyes, burning out the last of the charm as she dashed back into the melee. Her elbow connected with Analysia's jaw, knocking her head back. The wizardess glared at her.

"I suppose I should have kept you close," she said. "No matter." She turned to Altan and pointed at Amira. "Kill her."

Altan immediately leapt at her, driving his daggers down like fangs. Amira threw her arms up, crossing them. Her bracers took most of the momentum but the tips of his daggers still dug into her shoulders. It was just enough to activate their special abilities. Fireworks tore through her mind and radiant energy seared into her left shoulder, making her whole arm feel numb.  _ Mahtab _ .  _ Roya _ . She knew their names as well as he did.

The rest of the battle continued to storm around them. Literally, as Keyleth created a cloud sparking with lightning and brought it down on Analysia. Julius, his parents, and Tiberius fired shot after shot. Spells flew across the room from Keyleth, Pike, Scanlan, and Elaina. Analysia didn't look like she had taken any damage. And she was laughing.

What was this woman made of?

Made of spells, it turned out. She rained fire down on them, taking Elaina and Tiberius out of the fight. Pike got them back up and they curled up together against the back wall, taking care of each other's wounds. The rest barely had time to recover from that before they were engulfed in a wave of necrotic energy. Then a spray of rainbow light arced from her. Julius just barely managed to dodge an indigo one. It hit the stone behind him, leaving a mark like shattered glass.

Amira was too wrapped up in her fight with Altan, trying to hold him back without hurting him too badly. She didn't see the two ice-blue beams heading for her until they slammed into her chest. Frost-like tendrils raced across her skin. She looked down at her hands in disbelief, shivering.

She'd never been so cold.

The frost grew up her neck and along her jaw, turning her lips blue. In a matter of seconds, her entire body was enveloped in veins of pale blue. Her eyes glassed over with a thin layer of ice and she crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

"Amira!" Kadin shouted. She was too far away. He needed to get closer. He had to help. Had to do something.

Analysia glanced over at the unmoving girl. "So, a twin does die in the end." She turned to Altan. "Finish her." Altan nodded and drove both of his daggers into his sister's heart.

"No!" Kadin screamed.

At the same time, Julius shouted, "Wait!"

Analysia laughed. "Do you feel that, Altan? The adrenaline, the exhilaration! This is the feeling I've been looking for."

As she spoke, something in Julius snapped and let the darkness out. He snatched his father's Animus from it's holster. "It will be the last thing you feel," he snarled. He lifted both guns and began to fire them as fast as he could as he advanced. Analysia shrieked and threw spell after spell at the gunslinger but he didn't falter. Each spell felt weaker than the last.

She was running out of magic.

Julius was vaguely aware of attacks from the others flashing past him, but his focus had narrowed down to one thing - Analysia.

**How do you want to do this?**

He walked until he was right on top of her. He put Legacy against her forehead. "If there's a god you serve, pray to them now," he said flatly. He pulled the trigger and blasted a hole through her skull.

Analysia fell backward, her body slamming into the ground. A purple ring on her finger turned black and with a shimmer an illusion faded and suddenly they could see all the damage they had actually done. Her body was a wreck.

Across the room, they heard an anguished cry. With Analysia's demise, Altan had gotten his mind back and the first thing he saw was the dead body of his twin with his daggers stuck in her chest. Kadin was already there, holding him while he screamed and sobbed, his entire body shaking. Kadin was looking away, his face buried in Altan's shoulder.

Julius looked at Analysia's body, stunned, the reality of what he did breaking through the black rage. He'd never...he'd never killed anyone before. Vex'ahlia came up and took his hand, pulling him into a hug, comforting him as he tried to process all the feelings surging through him. It was all just too much.

Elaina dropped to her knees beside Amira, frantically calling up all the magic she had left. She tossed the daggers aside and covered the wound with her hands, letting the magic pour into her friend. Nothing happened. The skin closed up but Amira wasn't breathing and there was no heartbeat. She looked over her shoulder. "Pike, can you..."

Pike shook her head. "Not right now," she said. "I'm tapped." She did look exhausted.

Elaina nodded. She rolled her shoulders back and sat up straighter, trying to put on a brave face. "Alright, we'll...we'll take her back to...take her back to Whitestone? To your temple?"

Scanlan turned to Keyleth. "Can you do it today, Keyleth? I can still summon the mansion if I need to."

Keyleth closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She nodded. "If we can get out of here and find a tree, I should have just enough power to get us home."

"Please," Kadin said. "I do not...I know the spell but I have no magic left. We cannot lose her," he added softly.

Percy put a hand on her shoulder. "I promise, we'll do everything we can to help."

Altan stood, trying to lift Amira up with him but struggling. Grog came over. "Here, let me," he said, lifting her limp form easily and gently into his arms. He cradled her against his chest. "So, which way to we go?"

Tiberius stepped into the group, wiping tears off his cheeks. "I have a map. We can follow it out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scene Titles:  
> Obligatory hot springs episode  
> Obligatory roommates trope  
> Quick breakfast musings  
> The team meets a wicked bitch  
> Aylin might have taken a level in barbarian  
> The End


	22. 21 - Passed Through Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone rushes back to Whitestone for the ressurrection ritual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you next week, folks!

The large group tumbled through the Sun Tree, startling two guards patrolling there. "My lord, my lady! You're back."

Percy nodded. "We are. Inform my sister or Jo, whomever you find first, that we're here and we're going to need a couple of the guest bedrooms made up. We'll be at the castle soon." The guards glanced at the heavily battered group before bowing quickly and running to do as they were bid.

The rest of them made their way up much more slowly. By the time they reached the castle gate, Cassandra and Jo were already waiting for them. They also had a little stowaway clinging to Johanna's leg. As soon as she saw them, Vesper dashed into her father's arms. Percy scooped her up, relief clear on his face.

"And the others?" Vex'ahlia asked.

"Upstairs in the library, with Kaylie," Cassandra assured them. "We haven't told them you're back yet. We wanted to make sure it was really you."

Vex'ahlia nodded to Johanna. "Go get your siblings, Jo. I'm sure they'll want to come down." Johanna hurried back up to the castle.

Cassandra stared at them for a moment longer and then her shoulders sagged. "You look terrible," she said, smiling at Percy.

Percy laughed and hugged her around his daughter. "That's what you always say."

"Stop coming back looking like you rolled around in a pile of burning swords and I won't have to keep saying it," she retorted, returning the hug. She pulled back slowly, finally getting a good look at the people standing behind him. She saw Amira. "Is she..."

Percy nodded. The brief air of celebration turned somber. "Yes. Pike is going to try and fix it, but we can't do it until tomorrow. We need a room for her and another for Altan and Kadin."

Cassandra nodded and called over a servant, giving him brief instructions. "Go with Danvers. He'll show you where you can stay."

Kadin and Altan nodded and followed wordlessly. Grog went with them, carrying Amira's body. Julius looked from them to his parents and back again, conflicted.

Vex'ahlia smiled at him knowingly. "Go with them. We'll still be here." Julius hesitated for a moment before giving his mother a hug and dashing after his friends.

Julius made it just inside the main doors when he was nearly knocked over by a small body. Jo, Vax, and Whitney followed behind.

"Nice to see that you made it back in one piece," Vax said, peeling Oliver off of his brother's leg. "I thought Jo was going to explode when I told her where you'd gone."

"No," Oliver protested as Vax picked him up, leaning towards Julius.

"We're going to go see mommy and daddy, and then you can be with Julius," Vax assured the small child. He and Whitney stepped outside.

Johanna paused next to Julius. "Some friends of yours are here," she said. "Arrived late this morning."

"Friends?" Julius asked, trying to guess who it might be.

Johanna nodded. "Asked for you, specifically. They're in the dining room now."

Julius walked into the dining room and almost turned around and walked right back out. He should have known. Kadin and Amira had said that they were supposed to either join up with their friends, or their friends would come back here - whichever happened first.

It was close, but it looked like Viatorem beat them here.

"Hey! Julius, right?" The halfling, Ursai, waved him over. "Where's Kadin and Amira? Did you guys find Altan?" Something must have shown on his face because they switched from those questions to, "Did something happen?"

Julius cleared his throat and studied the floor. "We found Altan and my family," he began, starting with the easy part. "They had been kidnapped by a woman named Analysia. We fought her, and she'd dead now, but Amira..." His voice trailed off as he fought back tears. "Amira didn't make it."

"Dead?" Desdemona rose and stepped around the table.

Julius nodded, still looking at anything other than the people in front of him. "She's upstairs with Altan and Kadin. We...my Aunt Pike has brought people back from the dead before, but it's risky and she doesn't have enough magic right now. We're going to do the ritual tomorrow morning."

A thick silence settled in the room. Julius could feel the eyes of everyone on him. Finally, Tofi spoke up. "Ah want tae see 'er."

Julius finally looked up. "Of course," he said. "Follow me." He and Tofi left the room, leaving the other three to whisper quietly amongst themselves.

Even though they had been given their own room, Julius wasn't surprised to see Kadin and Altan at Amira's bedside. They sat on either side of her still form, holding her hands.

Julius pulled in another chair and set it up in the corner. He didn't want to intrude - Kadin and Altan were her family - but he didn't want to be away from her, either. He needed to know that she hadn't crumbled to dust or something. He trusted Pike and Elaina. He needed to remember that. He opened a book he'd grabbed and began to read, glancing often at Amira.

Tofi stood in the doorway for a moment, watching. Then, without a word, he left again and marched outside. Julius could have sworn he heard the distant sound of thunder, but it didn't look like it was going to rain when they came in. He must have been imagining it.

It was several minutes before either of the other two realized he was there. They didn't say anything but Kadin moved around the bed to lean against Altan, gesturing for Julius to come forward. He placed his book on his vacated chair and sat on the bed, taking Amira's hand.

Her skin was so cold that he got anxious all over again. Could she really come back from this? He took some controlled breaths. It was risky, but Pike had gotten it to work before. This was just way out of his depth and sort of felt like drowning.

Kadin watched him with a knowing look. "You love her," he stated.

Julius jerked his head up. He hadn't thought...he knew he felt close to her, even after such a short time together. Did he love her? He looked down where their hands were interlocked and let himself think about a world where she never woke up.

He started crying.

Altan looked at Kadin questioningly. He smiled at him. Altan raised his eyebrows and Kadin nodded. He nodded back. "I suppose you will do," he said, passing over a handkerchief. "Kadin approves of you, at least."

The room fell silent again as Julius wiped his eyes. He gazed at Amira's face. Everyone always said that the dead looked peaceful. To him, she just looked...blank. Empty. Maybe that's what peaceful was, but it looked wrong on her. Amira was...Amira was fire and action and intensity.

A little while later, Julius retrieved his book and continued to sit next to her on the bed. At some point Elaina and Tiberius came in with food for all of them. Julius would have just left it but Elaina was too smart for that. She refused to leave them alone until they had finished at least half their plate.

"You'll be no good to Amira if you're half-dead yourselves," she said on her way out.

Once she was gone, the three returned to their vigil. Kadin and Altan sat on the floor, talking quietly to each other. Julius read. Eventually, although he didn't know when, he faded into sleep.

Julius was woken up by a gentle hand shaking his shoulder. He lifted his head to see his mother standing over him with a solemn look. "It's time," she told him. Behind her, Grog was already holding Amira in his arms. Altan and Kadin were standing just past him.

They were a melancholy procession as they walked to the Temple of Serenrae. Elaina and Pike were already there, setting up for the ritual. Grog placed Amira onto the altar, which was covered in snowdrops that Keyleth had druidcrafted. Kadin stepped over with a bouquet of graveyard lilies that he had created in a similar fashion. He broke off the stems and placed the blooms amongst the snowdrops.

Elaina and Pike drew the last of the runes and stepped back. Desdemona lifted her hand and all the incense and candles began burning at once. Pike nodded at her and said, "There's one last thing we need - a diamond. We can't begin until we have one, and it has to be pretty pricey."

Viatorem looked at each other nervously. They didn't have anything like that. Before they could say as much, Vex'ahlia stepped forward. "We'll get one from our treasury," she said, tapping Tiberius's shoulder. He nodden, running off with Lymus.

"We can't repay you..." Ursai began but Percy held up his hand.

"I don't want to hear another word about it," he said. He smiled at Julius, who smiled back gratefully.

Altan inched towards his sister, kneeling next to her. He took her hand and pressed the back of it to his forehead. " _ Jeegareto bohkoram _ ," he whispered. He stayed there for a moment longer before returning to Kadin's side.

Tiberius returned with the diamond a moment later and handed it to Pike. "My magic can only do so much," Pike explained as she accepted it. "We'll also have to...appeal to her spirit. Call her back."

Altan turned. "We...what?"

"You need to say or do something that you think would convince her soul to come back. You can appeal to her directly or to a deity, it changes from person to person." Pike set the diamond on Amira's chest.

Altan stared at his sister, eyes glazed over, and nodded. He had an idea of what he was going to say. Now he just had to find the courage to say it.

Pike moved around to the opposite side of the altar. She bent over and touched the outside edge of the rune circle. It lit up with pale yellow radiance, leaving only three runes still dark. Pike began to speak in Celestial, a song Percy told them was a plea to Serenrae. Amira's body lifted a few inches into the air, her head and limbs hanging. The diamond lifted off her and shattered, covering her in a layer of iridescent dust.

"Make your petitions," Pike said in a voice that wasn't quite her own. Her voice was intertwined with a deeper and richer voice that made Altan feel warm to his bones. Behind hers were thousands of voices repeating the same in celestial. The entire room hummed with it.

Altan stepped forward and rested his forehead against his twin's. " _ Amira _ ," he began in quiet Marquesian. Scanlan translated softly to the others. " _ When I said you should get some rest, I did not mean like this _ ." He laughed weakly. Then, sobering, he continued, " _ Remember when we were sneaking around in Lady Kordestani's garden to make flower crowns and you found that beautiful purple and yellow flower all by itself? I turned away for one moment and when I looked back, you were unmoving on the ground. _

" _ I was...I was so scared. I thought you had died. I started crying and yelling for help until Lady Kordestani came out and found us. She was furious that we were there but could not stay mad when she saw you. You were only sleeping, she said. I did not believe her and continued crying until you woke up and told me to stop being so stupid _ ." Altan was sobbing now. " _ I am no more ready to lose you now than I was then. Come back to me, Amira. Please, come back _ ."

Silence fell as he finished his speech. One of the runes that had remained dark came to light.

Elaina rolled her shoulders back and stepped forward before anyone else did, taking Altan's place. There was someone important she could talk to that no one else in the room could.

She reached into a belt pouch and pulled out her holy symbol of the Raven Queen. "My queen," she began, head bowed slightly. "You command the moment between life and death, and you hold Amira's fate in your hands. I beg you, let her come back to us. There is so much more that she can do. And Uncle Vax," she added, her voice growing quiet, "if you're listening, please help me get Amira back. I've only known her for a short time, but she's already one of the best friends I've ever had." She placed her medallion on Amira's chest and returned to TIberius as the second glyph came to light.

"One more must step forward," Pike said, still in her strange multi-voice.

So far, Julius had been standing off to the side, fiddling with something under his shirt. Now he came forward, pulling off his necklace with the Huma bird charm. He carefully laid it around Amira's neck, letting it rest between her collar bones.

"When you gave this to me, you told me it was to bring me fortune and happiness but I don't think..." His voice broke and he had to take a few deep breaths before he could speak coherently again.

"Once, my father died and my mother made her appeal by confessing her love for him. Father doesn't remember much from that time, but he does remember hearing what she said, so I hope you can hear this now." He leaned close to her ear. "You are my good fortune and I don't think I can be happy without you." He whispered a kiss across her lips as the third and final glyph blazed.

Pike began to chant in Celestial again and the rest backed away as tiny flecks of light were pulled from the three glyphs, swirling around Amira. As Pikes' voices reached the top of a crescendo, the light burst out and everyone had to look away. When they were finally able to see again, Amira was floating back down to the altar, still unmoving. They watched, waiting. Hardly daring to breathe.

One moment.

Two moments.

Three moments.

Four...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd appologize but I'm not sorry.  
> I regret nothing.
> 
> Farsi Translations:  
> Jeegareto bokhoram - I will eat your liver. (I love you/will do anything for you.)
> 
> Scene Titles:  
> The Sun Tree gives birth  
> Julius attacked  
> Nothing travels faster  
> Constant Vigilance  
> Path to Ritual  
> Altan's Plea  
> Elaina, Vax, and the Raven Queen  
> Fortune and Happiness  
> When you're evil


	23. 22 - Those That Walk Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ressurection ceremony is completed and someone says goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The weather is stupid and so am I. Enjoy the final chapter.

Amira's back arched as she gasped, sucking in a huge breath. Her eyes stayed closed as her breathing slowed to a more even tempo.

Altan approached, tentative. "Amira?"

She still didn't open her eyes, but she did groan dramatically. "Kill me again," she moaned. "I do not wish to live in a body that aches this much."

Altan couldn't help it. He started laughing and crying simultaneously. "There is the Amira I love." He leaned over and pulled her into a hug.

"Ow, ow! Not so tight, Altan. I have just come back from the dead. I am tender."

"Good," Altan replied, deadpan. "The pain will remind you of how alive you are."

Amira stuck her tongue out at him but returned the hug. " _ Jat kahli-ye _ ," she whispered. "I have missed you."

" _ Zahre mar _ ," Altan laughed, pushing her back onto the table. " _ Cheshme shoma rashan _ ."

Kadin joined them and pressed his index finger to his friend's forehead. "Do not ever do that again,  _ sheereen-am _ ."

Amira laughed and took Kadin's hand in hers, pulling it away from her face. "You know me,  _ Kadin-joon _ . I am nothing if not a risk-taker. When did you all get here?" She added as the rest of Viatorem crowded around her.

"Lest nicht, jist in time tae fin'at yoo'd gain an' gotten yerself killed," Tofi answered, fixing her with a stern glare. "Ah 'member specifically tellin' you nae ta dae 'at."

Amira closed her eyes and patted the dwarf's arm absently. "You cannot stay mad at me, Tofi."

Tofi held his stance for a few more moments before letting himself slumb forward, resting his forehead by her arm. "If ye wernae loch th' daughter ah ne'er had..." His voice trailed off. Standing straight, he said, "I'll be alrecht, lass. Jist...dornt scaur me loch 'at again. Nae when ahm nae thaur tae help."

Desdemona swept over. "What did it feel like, passing into the unknown?" Those in the room who didn’t know her gaped, while her own party members were unfazed. Amira looked to be seriously considering her answer.

"This sounds like a conversation that could be had somewhere else," Percy interjected. "I've been dead before and that slab of stone is not fun to lay on."

"Come," Vex'ahlia added, gesturing to the rest of the room. "We'll find you places to stay in the castle."

Julius whipped around and put a hand to his heart. "In the castle?" He gasped. "Mother, you shouldn't have. I accept."

"Don't you dare," Vex'ahlia laughed, "or I'll move your room back to my manor."

"And listen to Father talk about how he hasn't built anything cool since the clock tower?" Julius asked. "Not a chance."

Percy threw him an offended look. "You wound me. Look at how wounded I am." Then he grinned. "Let's show your new friends to their rooms before this family tears itself apart."

Amira hummed in amusement, already slipping into sleep as Tofi pulled her into his arms. She grunted and tried to push herself into standing. "I can walk on my own, Tofi," she insisted. She took a couple steps forward, wobbled, and would have fallen if Tofi had not been hovering nearby.

"Are ye shoor abit 'at?" He asked, scooping her back up and beginning to carry her away.

"I am sure," she mumbled into his shoulder, but she made no more attempts to walk.

Amira was completely asleep by the time they got her back to her room. Altan and Julius immediately went to sit in chairs by her side but were stopped when Keyleth put a hand on each of their shoulders. "Let her rest," she murmured, turning them around. "I think the rest of us could use a drink."

It was only mid-morning, but none of them were strangers to day-drinking. Even Elaina and Tiberius drank sometimes, as long as their parents were around to supervise. Kaylie and Cassandra joined them at their usual bar. It was the first that one passed when walking from the Slayer's Cake to the castle. It was probably the closest to a seedy bar that a place like Whitestone could offer.

Altan immediately ordered three shots of spiced rum for himself, Kadin, and Julius. "Drinks in celebration to my sister's miraculous return. Spiced rum is her favorite," he said, raising the first shot. He and Kadin downed all three in quick succession.

Julius shrugged and followed suit. He never really drank rum. He associated it with beaches and vacations to Dalen's Closet. He poured the last one down his throat and ordered a spiced cider with the same rum in it. 

Altan ordered the rest of the rum and drank straight from the bottle. "So," he said, leaning towards Julius. "What exactly are your intentions towards my sister?"

Julius nearly choked on his drink. "What?" He sputtered.

Altan smirked. "Your intentions," he repeated. "If you are serious about her, it is my duty as her brother to inform you of all her flaws. You have a right to know what you are walking into."

Julius relaxed back into his chair. "I already know about her anger issues and obsession with food."

"And still you love her?" Altan teased. "I am most impressed. It means you likely will not falter when you hear that she moves in her sleep and will sometimes attack or throw things in reaction to her dreams."

"Or that she is reckless and self-sacrificing?" Kadin added as he joined the two with his own pink-colored drink, complete with tiny umbrella.

"I think I figured those out, too," Julius laughed.

Altan became more serious before asking his next question. "What will you do when we leave for our next adventure? Amira will not stay here, it goes against her spirit to settle in one place."

"I know," Julius answered. He faltered. "I...I had hoped to talk to my parents first, but...I would like to ask to go with you. It's high time I leave Whitestone and make my own stories."

"Are you sure about that?" Percy appeared behind him. "Going out into the world to adventure is a big decision, and a dangerous one."

Julius looked his father in the eyes. "I'm sure."

Percy stared at his son for a moment, then smiled. "Then go," he said. "You have my blessing, or permission, or whatever it was that you, a fully-grown adult, wanted from your mother and I."

"Don't say that," Julius chuckled. "If I have to stop asking your permission, that means I'm a real adult who has to do real adult things."

"Like what?" Percy asked.

Julius grinned wickedly. "Like build giant, overly-complicated clock towers." He flinched, laughing, as his father smacked him on the back of his head.

When they finally returned to the castle a little after midday, Amira wasn't in her room. Kadin stayed in the room in case she came back while Altan and Julius searched the castle for her. Julius found her, wandering in the garden.

"Are you supposed to be out here, my lady?" He asked, grinning. She turned with smile and walked back towards him. She faltered as she approached and his grin turned to concern as he ran over to her, grabbing her hand and elbow to steady her.

Amira flapped her hand and him, shooing him away. "I am fine,  _ delbar-am _ . Do not be a mother hen to me." Despite this assurance, she was leaning on him heavily.

He led her over to a bench and sat them both down. Now that he was closer, he could see how bad off she still was. "You look pale. Well, paler than usual. We should get back so you can rest some more."

Amira sighed. "So long as I do not look as pale as you, I believe I will be alright."

Julius put his hands up in surrender. "Alright, that's fair. But then, it's pretty hard to be paler than me. This porcelain skin is a de Rolo heirloom."

Amira rolled her eyes and grinned. She linked her arm with his and stood again. "Come on, funny boy. Let us go back inside before they believe we eloped or something equally ruinous."

Later that night, Amira again managed to sneak away from everyone. She may have been weaker than normal, but she was still a shadow monk. She made her way outside of town.

It was a longer journey than she anticipated. Or maybe her soreness made it feel longer than it was. Either way, when she came across a bench, she decided to rest on it. It was a beautiful stone bench in the midst of a circle of trees. The soft oranges and pinks and purples of the setting sun filtered through the leaves. Nearby, a raven cawed. She leaned back and closed her eyes, entering an almost meditative state.

A while later - she wasn't sure exactly how long - her concentration was broken by a familiar voice. "I didn't expect to find you here."

Amira didn't open her eyes as Julius sat down next to her. "To be honest, I did not expect to be here. I went for a walk and this place found me."

"Are you alright?" He asked. She didn't dignify that with a response. "Right. Stupid question." His fingers traced the words carved at the edge."

Curious about the movement she felt, Amira looked at his hand. "In memory of Vax'ildan, Champion of the Raven Queen and Hero of Tal'dorei," Amira read. "Your uncle?"

Julius nodded. "After he died, Aunt Pike made this place for Mother to go when she wanted to remember him. All of us kids know about it, even Oliver." He looked off into the distance. "I came here a lot when I was younger to...to talk to him. Uncle Vax. He never answered, of course, but it was a place where I was safe to talk about anything. Even If the only things listening were the ravens."

"He must have been a great man," Amira replied, resting her hand so that his fingers were just touching his.

"He was an impulsive idiot, if my mother's stories are anything to go by," Julius chuckled. "But yes, I think he was a great man. One of the best."

They sit there in comfortable silence for a while, enjoying the sunset. After a time, Amira turned to Julius and asked, "Did you mean it? What you said during my resurrection?"

Julius looked down at his lap. "You did hear."

Amira nodded. She pulled his necklace off - she was still wearing it from that morning - and handed it back to him. "I heard everything, all four of you."

"Four?" Julius repeated, confused.

Now Amira was also confused. "Yes, four. First Altan, then Elaina, the strange-voiced man, and you."

"There was no other man on our side. Just Altan, Elaina, and me." Julius frowned. "Who was he?"

Amira shook her head. "I do not know. All I could see was white, and I did not recognize the voice."

"Well, if he wasn't on our side, he must have been on your side, meaning he is probably dead." Amira hummed in agreement. Julius continued, "What did he say?"

"He said..." Amira thought for a moment, trying to get the foreign words right. "He said, 'You're family now, and family has to stick together. I will speak to her for you.'"

"That's it?"

"That was all, yes." Amira smiled. "You still have not answered my question. Did you mean what you said?"

Instead of answering, Julius reached into a bag he'd been carrying and pulled out a small box. "I had my father help me make it this afternoon," he said, handing the box to Amira.

She opened it. "Oh, Julius!" She exclaimed. "This is beautiful." Inside was a pendant strung on a leather thong. The charm was the Whitestone crest, or part of it, with crossed pistols across it.

"It has another surprise," Julius admitted. He turned the pendant over. On the back was a hinged piece that could be popped out. He did so and then twisted the piece a few times clockwise. A soft melody began to play, a melody she recognized as a Marquesian lullaby. "We got a lot of help from Scanlan with the music part, and Whitney did the design on the front. It also plays a Tal'dorei lullaby."

Amira threw her arms around him. "It is perfect, thank you." She gave him a quick kiss and then pulled back to tie on the necklace. It rested close to her throat where it wouldn't interfere with the way she fought.

Julius looked stunned for a moment, his fingertips brushing his lips. Then, he leaned towards her. "To answer your question, yes. I meant it, every word."

Amira grabbed his shirt and pulled him down for another kiss, this time slower and softer. At some point, Amira ended up in Julius's lap. He never wanted it to stop, but they needed to breathe. He pulled away, panting.

"I guess I don't have to ask if you like me back," he laughed.

Amira rolled her eyes and kissed him again.

Julius threw the last couple of things he would need into the Bag of Holding his mother had managed to find for him. He put a hand to his waist to make sure his pistol was there. It was.

He was ready.

His entire family was waiting in the entryway to see him off. He said goodbye to his siblings and his extended family. His aunts and uncles were also leaving today.

It was crazy to think that it had already been a week.

His parents were at the end of the line. Vex'ahlia hugged him tight and handed him a stone. "So you can always come home if you need to. The other is in your father's study. Just focus on it and you'll be teleported here, but don't use it too often. It only works once a day, and you'll need another way to get back." Julius nodded and added it to his bag.

Percy handed him a stack of paper, a jar of ink, and three quills. "We expect you to write to us and tell us about all the fun you're having," he explained. "We need it so we can live vicariously through you and remember our golden years."

Julius chuckled. "Of course, Father. Every detail. Desdemona can help me - she remembers literally everything."

"One more thing," Percy added. He grabbed something off a side table behind him and handed it out to Julius. It was a large holster, worn on the back, and inside was...

"Bad News," Julius breathed, holding the apparatus.

"Nothing travels faster," Percy replied with a grin. "It's yours now."

"But...I can't...It's yours!" Julius sputtered. "I can't take this."

"Well, I gave it to you, so you can do what you like with it, I suppose. But I think it will be of more use to you out there than sitting here in a dusty cabinet."

Julius, dazed, let his father help him put the holster on, similar to how a pack would be worn, with an extra strap across the chest to keep it in place. "Thank you."

Percy smiled. "Just be sure to take good care of it. I worked hard on that for six months and I want it to become an heirloom."

Julius nodded and threw his arms around Percy. Then, he pulled away, kissed his mother on the cheek, and ran outside where the rest of Viatorem was waiting for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Farsi Translations:  
> Jat kahli-ye - Your place is empty (you were missed)  
> Zahre mar - Poison of a snake (Shut up, can be insulting)  
> Chesme shoma rashan - May your eyes be bright. (acknowledgemment of happiness at the return of a loved one)  
> Sheereen-am - my sweet (honey, sweetie)  
> Joon-am - my life  
> Delbar-am - The one who has my heart (stollen/holds heart, soulmate, true love)
> 
> Scene Titles:  
> IT'S ALIIIIVVVEE!!!!!  
> Day-drinking  
> Funny Boy  
> Go on and kiss the girl (wah wah)  
> An Unexpected Party


End file.
